Endless Summer Book 3: Andromeda
by GlamourChick1668
Summary: Armed with the identity of the Endless, Alodia throws herself fully into the battle to save La Huerta. But the cost of protecting all she holds dear might be more than she can bear.
1. The Rift and the River

My name is Alodia. I thought I knew who I was. I remember who I have been, since the day I landed on La Huerta. I am the best friend of Diego Ricardo Ortiz Soto. I am the lover of Jacob Lucas McKenzie. I am a student at Hartfeld University, but Hartfeld University is gone. Everything is gone, and now I do not know if I can trust my memory.

I have heard stories of the Endless, the great god of the Vaanti. I saw a vision of them once, back before I understood just how deep the mystery of La Huerta ran. When I was just a scared, lost college student, barely keeping it together on a dream vacation that had gone horribly wrong for reasons I did not yet understand. That was the day I first met Varyyn, then a Vaanti prince. Before his mother gave her life for us, before he was crowned the Elyyshar. Before he fell in love with my best friend. That day on the beach, as I knelt in surrender between Sean and Jake, he touched my forehead and flooded my brain with visions. Of Elyys'tel, his village, built into the trunk and branches of a tree massive enough to be Yggdrasil of the Viking stories. Of Ximedra, his mother, her green-tinted face covered by a sheer drop veil. ...And of the Endless, a figure dressed in a blood-colored space suit, their face concealed behind a black visor, a ball of flame dancing over the skeletal fingertips of a mechanical right hand.

Uqzhaal, the Vaanti shaman, spoke of how the Endless had foretold my coming. Mine and the coming of my eleven friends. The Catalysts, they have called us. We are meant to prevent Raan'losti, the end of the world. It seems we have failed, though. The world outside this tiny island in the Caribbean is a fiery hellscape. I collected our scattered idols, forged of pure amber. Each one granted me a terrifying vision of its owner dying, but I continued to gather them, trusting that knowing the future would prepare me to change it—to prevent the vision my own idol gave me, a vision of eleven graves, with only one left alive to dig them.

But now...now, I am at the Threshold. The place where I saw myself covered in blood and digging eleven graves. Now, deep in the mining tunnels beneath Mount Atropo, with Uqzhaal and the pirate Yvonne beside me, I am face to face with the Endless. Her helmet is off, and my own face stares back at me from atop the crimson space suit. My pale skin has gone slack with age, my honey-blonde hair is gray and thinning, but there is no mistaking my face.

"I had to be certain you were ready, Alodia," she says. "Now our work can begin."

I feel my knees turn to rubber. I sink down onto a stone that juts out of the cavern wall. Yvonne edges closer to me, her dark eyes wide and wary as she looks between me and the Endless.

"What devilry is this?" she demands.

I hazard another look at the Endless. My stomach threatens to rebel, but I keep my gorge down. "You...you're..."

A smile plays around the Endless' wrinkled mouth. Vague amusement flickers in her bright blue eyes. "I am you," she confirms patiently. "Yes. Don't worry. The suit will prevent a paradox from being caused by our proximity to one another."

Ice water flows in my veins. I hug myself, shivering. The armor of polished amber that I wear rattles just a little. It is the armor of Andromeda, my Hadean zodiac sign. Less than a full day ago, I discovered it on the roof of a dorm building at Hartfeld University, half-submerged in molten lava, and yet comfortably cool to the touch. After a total of six months trapped on La Huerta, my friends and I had found our way home—only to discover that our home had burned the same day we left it.

"You lied to us!" Uqzhaal's angry voice pulls me back to the present. "Lied to the Vaanti...for generations!"

The Endless does not flinch as she regards the blue-skinned shaman. "I did not lie," she replies mildy. "The Twelve are integral to preserving Vaanu."

"You used my people as mere pawns! Fodder! Caring only for your so-called Catalysts!"

"You needed something to believe in, didn't you?" the Endless retorts. Uqzhaal's jaw tightens. He glares at her, his crimson eyes snapping with fury, hurt, and betrayal. There is a smugness in the Endless' smile that fills me with the desire to slap her, but that urge quickly deflates. I want to reach out to Uqzhaal and offer him comfort, but I am paralyzed. What could I possibly say, when the most terrible part of all of this is my certainty that it is all sickeningly, terrifyingly true?

Two-thousand one-hundred thirty-nine. That's how many times the Endless has watched her friends die. And probably several versions of herself—of me—as well. Unbidden, their faces flash through my mind. Diego. Jake. Estela. Sean. Craig. Michelle. Raj. Quinn. Zahra. Grace. Aleister. The Endless gave them names that the Vaanti would know them by. She named them after constellations in the Hadean zodiac. But knowing now who is behind that helmet, those names start to take on new meaning.

Diego. My oldest and dearest friend, my brother in all but name. Canis. The dog. What more fitting symbol for my sweet, tender-hearted best friend than man's best friend? Jake, my lover. Once a lone wolf, now fighting for his pack. The Endless named him Lupus. Proud, fiery Estela, as deadly as she is beautiful and majestic, is the Dragon. Sean is Aquila, a noble eagle. Craig is a bear, fiercely protective and steadfastly loyal. Michelle is a beautiful peacock. Raj is a centaur, as wild as he is wise. Quinn is a gentle dolphin and Zahra a crow, the symbol of the trickster in many cultures. Grace is a swan, beautiful to look at, but not to be trifled with. And Aleister...Aleister, who betrayed us all at MASADA. Though I care for him as much as the others, the Endless called him Serpens. The snake.

"I know this must all seem very strange," the Endless remarks, pulling me back to the present. "Is there anything you'd like to ask me, Alodia?"

I am silent for a long moment, my thoughts racing. I don't know where any of my friends are. I was unconscious when Yvonne pulled me from the frigid water surrounding the MASADA complex. The last thing I remember is Jake's terrified face as he reached for me while I clung to the landing skid of the doomed Arachnid chopper. Sean, Estela, and Craig were also in that chopper. Zahra had been pulled out by Lundgren. Quinn...Quinn had vanished into thin air. Overtaken by the Island's spirit, she had stopped the missle from killing us all instantly, even if the blast wave had ultimately destroyed the chopper. Raj, Michelle, and Diego had managed to escape with Varyyn, but God only knows where they are now.

...But...they are alive. I know they are alive. Because if they were not, the Endless would not be standing in front of me now. ...This is the first time I have made it this far. The first time in two-thousand one-hundred thirty-nine loops that I have made it to the threshold with all twelve idols and every one of my friends still alive.

I look up at the Endless, swallowing. "Wh-what is this 'work' you mentioned doing?"

"Everett Rourke seeks to harvest La Huerta's time-altering energy by triggering the island's destruction. We cannot allow that."

"So...you can't just go back in time and terminate his parents or something?"

"I told you, I cannot leave this island. My powers are restricted to this time bubble. Besides, there is no need. There's a crux of extradimensional crystal inside the core of the volcano. All of the fragments on the island originate from it. By harnessing the crux's power, you and I will stop Rourke for good. We must act quickly though. Now that he has the Island's Heart, Rourke has no more use for the Catalysts. Or me. And he is not one to leave loose ends."

"Yeah." I mutter. "I got that impression. But...how is any of this possible? What are you? What...am I?"

The Endless lowers her mechanical right hand toward the tunnel floor. "My journey to self-discovery was long and difficult. Yours will happen much faster. It's important, however, that you develop that understanding on your own."

Flames swirl from the Endless' metal fingertips, igniting a line of black powder that I had not even noticed was there. An orange spark travels the trail's length, disappearing around a bend in the tunnel.

"In the end," she continues, "it's up to you to decide who you truly are."

I don't know how to answer that. I feel a deep, cold fear spreading over me like a stain, filling me to bursting and leaving me empty all at once. I want my friends here. I want Diego. I want Jake. I want all of them. I want to hold them and beg them not to leave me, not to let me slip away. I want them to tell me who I am...

A distant explosion echoes through the caverns. The Endless nods with satisfaction.

"There. That should activate the crux. We'll..." She trails off abruptly, frowning. I barely notice the tremor at first. It's so subtle, it might as well be my own heart fluttering with anxiety. But the Endless looks alarmed. "...This is not as I'd expected."

The earth under my feet pitches violently, throwing me to the ground. I go sprawling, tumbling into Yvonne. The walls around us shake and a blast of blisteringly hot wind rushes through the tunnel.

"The mountain is erupting!" Uqzhaal cries.

"Right now?!" I shriek.

A blood-curdling howl rises above the roar of the explosion, coming from somewhere below us, sounding like a cruel mockery of a human voice. Yvonne clutches me.

"By the black depths, what-"

"Now I understand," the Endless interrupts her. "The core is missing. Destablizing the entire structure. We need to leave immediately."

No one needs to be told twice. We charge through the caves towards the mouth of the Threshold, Uqzhaal supported between me and Yvonne. Hot air licks at our backs, spurring us on until we burst back into the open air.

A plume of fire and smoke billows from Mount Atropo's summit. Streams of shimmering lava ooze down the slopes like blood trickling from a wound. Uqzhaal closes his eyes, slumped with despair.

"Too late," he murmurs. "It's all too late. Raan'losti has come."

Yvonne puts herself in the path of the Endless, stopping her in her tracks. "Arrete, demon!" the pirate snaps. "You told me that if I brought you Alodia, you would give me the Fountain."

"The legendary Fountain of Youth. Yes. It's inside the mountain just as you and your fellow pirates believed. But not in the form you expected. In any case, I wouldn't go back there now." The Endless gestures toward the mountaintop, where geysers of lava are rocketing into the night sky. "This is no ordinary eruption. The entire island is about to change. Just as it did when Rourke tampered with the crux."

I stare at her in disbelief. "You didn't know this would happen?" I cry angrily. "You saw everything else, but not this?!"

"This is as new to me as it is to you," she confirms grimly.

Helpless tears are burning in my eyes. "Can't we just go back in time and stop it?" I ask pleadingly.

"These kinds of eruptions cannot be reverted. They shatter apart time itself."

"So you are saying the Fountain is lost?" Yvonne asks.

"What you seek can be found to the east," the Endless replies. "There is another temple on the coast. A place once known as No'ax Naj. Your brother, Patrice-"

She is cut off by a bubble of lava that crashes into the nearby slopes, converging with a pyroclastic flow that starts to ooze down the mountain toward us.

"Oh, god..." I whimper. "I don't think we're going to survive this..."

"Alodia!" The Endless' sharp voice draws my eyes instantly to her face. She has pinned me with a penetrating gaze. "Listen to me. You are the miracle I've waited for. You're the only one who could keep everyone safe. I need you to recover the Island's Heart from Rourke. With it, we can preserve La Huerta and protect our friends. Do you understand?"

"I..." My voice falters. I close my mouth and open it again. "...I..."

"Alodia, do you understand?!" Suddenly, in the Endless, I can hear my own voice clearer than ever. In her eyes, I see her love for our friends. Our family. All we love in the world. All we have left.

"...Yes. I understand."

"Good. Stand back." We do as she tells us. The Endless affixes her helmet to her head. Slowly, she extends her arms toward the approaching inferno. "Go. Find everyone. Find the Island's Heart!"

And then she's gone, vanished beneath the rising blaze.

"No! Wait!"

"Laisse tomber!" Yvonne snaps, grabbing my arm. "We must go!"

She drags me off, and the three of us take off, crashing through the rainforest. As we crest a hill, I dare to look back. A sea of liquid fire is gathering at the base of the volcano, glowing hellish red. My chest feels tight. That's what the whole world looks like, on the other side of La Huerta's time bubble. A lifeless sea of lava that gleams the color of blood.

"We should be safe up here," Uqzhaal murmurs. A series of yellow flashes light up the sky, reflecting the smoky clouds drifting off the mountain. Yvonne frowns.

"...A storm?"

"Not a natural one," Uqzhaal says grimly. Then, I see something familiar. Yellow-orange orbs of energy flaring to life in the sky, exploding into wild arcs of lighting.

"It's happening again. ...Just like when we flew in..." A deafening crack like thunder rips through the air as several tongues of lightning lash out at the earth, igniting the foliage around us.

"Zut alors!"

"No longer safe!" Uqzhaal exclaims. "We must move! Quickly!"

I hear the telltale crackle of splintering wood, and feel the rush of air as the tree trunk hurtles toward me. Acting on pure instinct, I spring out of the way, diving into the smoking brush. The tree crashes to the ground, sending up a thick cloud of sparks and smoke. The next breath I draw fills my lungs with smoke that burns like cinders. My lungs rebel violently. If I don't get away from the smoke, I almost expect them to climb up my throat to escape on their own.

"Alodia...!" Yvonne's voice is thick and strained. "Got to...keep...moving..."

I try to answer her, but my throat is already swollen almost shut. The most I can manage is a whimper as I stagger to my feet, only to land on my knees again. The fiery glow around me is growing brighter as trees and undergrowth are rapidly consumed. My head is starting to swim. My vision narrows, filling with static at the edges. I can only pray that the smoke kills me before I start to feel the flames...

A hand, the palm rough with callouses, grasps my wrist. I feel my arm pulled over a pair of shoulders. Another arm wraps around my waist and pulls me firmly against a torso. As I'm hoisted to my feet, a familiar, gruff voice cuts through the haze in my brain.

"...I ain't losin' you twice, Princess."

I look up weakly, hardly daring to believe it. "...Jake?"

"Let's get you out of here." I manage to get my feet under me enough to limp out of the immediate danger zone. Through the curtain of smoke, I can see another familiar figure. Estela, bracing Yvonne, keeps close to us. As I manage to take in a few lungfuls of clean air, my head starts to clear. The spastic coughs tearing through my chest start to ease. Jake holds a canteen to my lips, and I take a long swallow of water before passing it to Yvonne. He rubs my back.

"You all right?"

"I think so." I grin shakily. "Nice timing, by the way."

"Oui, the two of you really know how to sweep in at just the right moment," Yvonne agrees, winking at Jake. "How do you call it when there are two couples? A...'double date'?"

Jake snorts. "You wish."

"Can we save the flirting for when we're not about to be burned alive?" Estela snaps.

"Wait..." I look around, my stomach twisting as I realize that someone is missing. "Where's Uqzhaal?"

"He was on the other side of the fallen tree," Yvonne says grimly.

"Grandpa Smurf knows these jungles better than we do. We're gonna have to hope he can make it out on his own."

"But..." Another flash of ball lightning rents the sky apart, raining down arcs of electricity. I turn to Jake. "H-how did you find us?"

"The chopper went down right after you fell. We've been combing the forest while Cap and Big Guy search along the eastern coast."

"So Sean and Craig are all right?"

"We can only hope," Estela murmurs. "It's been three days since we saw them."

"Didn't think it'd take this much time to find you, but Michonne over here will tell you that I'm wrong every great once in a while."

"Th-three days?!" Relief gives way to dread again. "But we were only separated a few hours ag-"

"Stop!" Estela cuts me off sharply. "What's that up ahead?"

On the path ahead of us, rays of bright blue light stream from a glowing rift hovering in the air. It as if the air itself has been torn apart. A wound in the skin of reality...

"It's...like a window," Yvonne remarks. "There is a...place on the other side..."

A piercing shriek echoes from the other side of the rift. I squint, peering through the tear, where I can clearly see a herd of dinosaurs roving through a prehistoric jungle—as well as a massive pterodactyl streaking through the sky, diving straight towards the rift.

"Run for it!" I scream. I don't have to tell anyone twice. We launch away from the rift just as the prehistoric creature bursts through and soars into the sky on leathery wings.

"C'est un monstre!" Yvonne gasps.

"Dinosaur," Jake corrects her. "But close enough for my mustard." Overhead, the creature disappears into the darkening clouds.

"Okay, let's not hang around this rift or whatever it is. I am in no mood to be a dinosaur dinner."

"Agreed," Estela says flatly. The four of us run on into the forest until the rift disappears behind us. Finally, we dare to slow down for a moment.

"This kind of thing didn't happen during the last storm," I murmur. "...Did it?"

"Hard to say," Jake replies. "I was busy trying to keep Delilah from making a swan dive into the Caribbean at the time."

"We were lucky." Estela's voice is soft and heavy. "We were spared...along with this island. And now there's nothing out there to go back to."

Jakes reaches out to put a hand on her shoulder. "Take it easy, Ripley. I ain't having you crack at a time like this."

Estela shrugs off his hand. "I'm not cracking!" she snarls. "I'm being honest with myself. Everything's gone. This is all we have now."

Any response any of us might have had is cut off by another series of blue flashes ahead of us. Two more tears in reality float among the trees.

"Looks like Rourke's about to get that prehistoric theme park he always wanted," Jake mutters. The ground under my feet heaves suddenly, a spasm that throws me right into Jake's arms. He grabs a tree branch, bracing himself, and I see Estela and Yvonne do the same.

"What now?" Yvonne moans in exasperation. The earth heaves again, groaning as the forest floor splits apart behind us. A blood-red light burns through the network of fissures, followed quickly by bubbling lava that bleeds out over the forest floor. Everything it touches immediately bursts into flames. Jake swears through gritted teeth.

"Figures. My day was going well for once."

"The rifts!" Estela shouts. "We've got no choice!"

"Copy that!" Jake agrees, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards one of the rifts.

"Wait! Are you sure it's safe?"

"Again, we don't have a choice! Come on, Princess! Hurry!"

For a moment, everything is a blur. A blue flash, searing heat and hellish red light, then warm, muggy air engulfs me and I'm on the ground, clasped in Jake's arms. The roar of the eruption is suddenly gone, replaced with the chirping of insects and gentle, lapping water. I raise my head and take in the scene around me, the mossy bank beside a softly flowing river. To my horror, I realize that Jake and I are the only ones here. Jake lifts his head, meeting my eyes.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine...where are Estela and Yvonne?"

"I think they're okay. I saw them dive at the other rift." He helps me to my feet. "...Looks safe enough here..."

I turn around, peering through the rift behind me. I can still see the burning rainforest. I can also almost make out the second rift, and Estela's face on the other side. She meets my eyes and nods. My heartbeat slows its frantic rhythm. I back away from the rift.

"...I guess we'll have to pass the time here until the fire dies down."

"Guess so," Jake agrees. We sit down by the water's edge. He picks up a stone and tosses it into the gentle current. "Whatever this place is, it's a dead ringer for Pearl River."

For the first time since MASADA went up in flames, I start to feel a genuine smile playing around my mouth. "Is that where you grew up?"

"Yeah. We moved around a bit before I headed off to Annapolis, but my grandparents always had their place out in the backcountry. That house was the center of the family."

"What was it like there?"

"It's a different world out there. Simpler way of life."

I sigh. "Simple sounds pretty nice right now..."

"You're tellin' me. ...My sister and I would spend the day swimming, fishing, pranking the neighbor kids... Our favorite trick was a little thing called 'Crabby Britches'."

"'Crabby Britches'? You mean..."

He grins. "Exactly what it sounds like. Strategically placed crawdad when you least expect it."

I can't help laughing. God, how long has it been since I laughed...? It can't have been more than a few days, but it feels like a lifetime.

"You two were little brats," I say, elbowing him lightly.

"We were. It was great. But I'm sure you and Petey got into your fair share of trouble, too."

"...Yeah..." I try to swallow the fear that bubbles up in me at the mention of Diego. "I'm sure we did..."

"Hold still."

"What? Why?" His hand flies up and gives my neck a sharp swat that makes me jump. "Hey!"

He grins at me, wiping his fingers on his pants. "Maringwin. Otherwise known as a mosquito. Got him though. Not to worry."

I chuckle. "My hero."

"I do what I can. Can't have my Princess itchy." His smile seems to slip very suddenly. He turns his gaze towards the water, his eyes distant.

"...Something wrong?"

He doesn't answer me immediately. Then, he sighs heavily. "...I keep going back to the moment I lost him."

I instantly know who he's talking about. "...Mike..."

"Lundgren got his claws in him. Made him something inhuman. I could have saved Mike from all of this...And I didn't. And now whatever's left of him is in there watching, suffering..." His voice breaks, and tears start to glisten on his eyelashes. He looks back at me, helplessness and desperation in his eyes. "...I can't take it, Princess..."

I draw him into my arms, guiding his head down onto my shoulder. He clings to me, shuddering. As I rub his back, the tears start to come in earnest. I hold him while he cries, rocking him gently, just as he did for me back at the Celestial, when I feared Diego was gone forever after having been a prisoner for six months.

"We're gonna get him out," I murmur soothingly. "That's a promise."

Jake shudders, gulping audibly. He slowly sits back, scrubbing at his eyes. He nods. "...We will. No matter what it takes."

"Damn right." I lay a hand on his back, making slow, gentle circles. He exhales slowly, shaking his head.

"...Helluva place, this island..."

"You're telling me," I say wryly.

"We've been through a lot here. But I gotta say...for you, Alodia, I'd do it all again." He reaches over to take my hand, and leans in to rest his forehead against mine. I grip his hand, and let my other arm wind around him to draw him closer. Outside, the world is burning, nine out of the eleven people I love most in the world are missing, and some version of me is an old woman in a red spacesuit with a skeletal claw where her right hand should be. But in here, I am in his arms. Just for a moment, I don't need anything else.

"...Hey, Top Gun?"

"Yeah, Princess?"

"...Kiss me. Now."

He chuckles. "Don't mind if I do." His lips find mine, warm and soft. I taste them hungrily, and he answers with slow, gentle passion, caressing my mouth as if he wants to savor it. Even when we break the kiss, he keeps his forehead on mine, reaching up to run his fingers through my hair.

"Hey, Princess...you ever think...maybe...we were meant to be?"

I nod against him, nuzzling him like a cat. "I do think that. Yes." I have to. If I believe anything less, if only for a moment...I don't know how I could bear it.

"All the craziness this place has thrown at us couldn't keep us apart. Even brought us to this Land Before Time swamp that looks just like my old stomping grounds."

"I'm glad I could see it with you."

"Me too, Princess."

I feel something heavy settle in the pit of my stomach. Images still nag at the back of my mind: a red spacesuit, a mechanical limb, my own aged face. ...And another face, the face of my best friend and brother. I don't even know if he's safe. Jake kisses the top of my head. Over his shoulder, I see the shimmering rift. The sliver of rainforest visible through the tear is dark and smokey.

"I think the fire's died down."

"Well. As we say in the south, 'tempus sho' does fugit'." He exaggerates his Louisiana drawl to such an extreme that I can't help laughing. He grins and stands, holding out his hands to help me to my feet. "You ready?"

Hand in hand, we emerge from the rift. The ground is still a little hot through the soles of my shoes, and covered in writhing smoke. The cracks in the forest floor still emit a faint glow, but the surrounding brush is no longer in flames. Estela stands near the second rift.

"Welcome back."

"...Where's Yvonne?"

"A third rift opened just before we dove in." She gestures at it. "I think she got into it all right."

Jake hops over a cooling fissure and peers into the third rift. Cupping his hands over his mouth, he speaks into the gleaming tear. "Ground control to Buccaneer Barbie. You can come out now."

Yvonne's head pokes out of the rift. After taking a moment to observe her surroundings, the rest of her emerges.

"That was a surprisingly pleasant sieste. Shall we be on our way?"

"Absolutely," I agree. "Let's get moving before that volcano comes up with a new way to kill us."

I hazard a glance back at the mountain as we trudge on through the rainforest. The eruption continues, lighting the night sky with geysers of fire. I find Jake's hand and keep a tight grip on it. For almost two hours, we continue in relative silence. Then, the shoreline comes into view through the trees ahead of us. We emerge from the jungle, arriving at a wide, moonlit cove. Pillars of natural rock rise from the see like fingers grasping at the stars.

"...Where are we...?"

"Magnifique, non?" Yvonne remarks, smiling at me. "Colonnade Cove. A trecherous harbor that only master sailors dare traverse."

"So now what?" Estela murmurs.

"I...guess we have a look around," Jake replies.

"And what exactly are you expecting to find? Look at the mountains. We're on the northern side of the island."

"You said Sean and Craig were searching to the east, right?" I ask.

"Yes," she replies flatly, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "And the eastern coast is probably one giant inferno of lava right now. ...We took too long." She cries out suddenly, a loud, angry, helpless sound that makes me jump, and kicks furiously at a boulder.

"Hey," Jake murmurs. "We'll find them, Trinity. Just relax." Estela whirls on Jake, dark eyes flashing, and pins him with an icy glare.

"Use my name or don't speak to me again!" she growls through gritted teeth. Jake is too startled to answer immediately.

"Estela..." I say softly. I approach her cautiously, but she turns sharply away, sitting down hard on the sand.

"We were idiots to think we could all make it through this together," she whispers. "Honestly, I doubt anyone is getting out of here alive."

"Ahh, pardonnez-moi...but do you happen to see something out by that cliff?" I look where Yvonne is pointing, at a shadowy outcropping of rock a short distance away. I squint, but I can't make out anything unusual.

"Uh...more...beach?" Jake says uncertainly.

I'm about to give up and turn my attention back to Estela when I see it: something shimmering between the stone pillars. An indistinct humanoid figure approaching across the beach, appearing to reflect the silver moonlight.

"There!" I point. "I...think it's coming closer."

"Is that...the shaman?" Jake calls out. "Jumanji! That you?"

The figure doesn't respond. Its approach is unhurried. I gulp, feeling my heart beat faster.

"Wh-who's there?"

Again, there is no answer. But now it is close enough to make out, and a chill races down my spine. The figure is shaped like a human, but it is translucent, sexless, its face without features. Green light undulates within its body, reflecting off the lines of a flat, broad chest and wide hips. Jake sucks in a sharp breath.

"...Holy..."

"What the hell?" I breathe, barely aware that I've said anything.

Yvonne backs away, her eyes wide with terror. "Non non non! This is too much! Yvonne will not suffer ghosts!" Before any of us can react, she turns on her heel, running for a cluster of palm trees. The fleeing pirate seems to shake Estela enough that she turns to look. When she sees the creature, her eyes go wide, her jaw dropping.

The figure approaches Estela. Jake and I tense, but the ghost's pace is slow enough that any of us could flee if we felt threatened, and it stops a few paces short of Estela. Its eyeless gaze seems to fall on Estela's grief-tinged face, as if studying it.

"What is this?" Estela whispers. "W-what's happening?"

The figure stretches a hand toward her, as if offering something. In fact, I can just make out an object within its luminous grasp. Estela gasps softly, a hand flying to her mouth.

"Is...is that...?" She looks up at the featureless face. "How did you get that?!"

"What is it? What does it have?"

"It's...it's a photo. A photo I kept at home in San Trobida. It's me, my mother, and Tio Nicolas..." She shakes her head. "It can't be real. Everything out there is burned to cinders." Her whole body quivers as she stares at the spectral entity, her eyes wide and fearful. The light within the ghosts body falters. I read a sort of desperation in it as it turns and extends the photo to me. I look down at the picture, which is slowly darkening at its edges, flaking, looking as if its about to burst into flames. I reach out to grasp the picture. Before my eyes, the figure's body dissolves into smoke that dissipates in a matter of seconds. I turn to Estela, holding the photo out to her. With a trembling hand, she reaches out for it. The moment her fingers brush the picture, my whole world flashes white.

The experience is familiar. Too familiar. It's happened to me before on this island, too many times. I brace myself for visions, steeling myself to watch helplessly while Estela suffers...

 _I find myself in an unfamiliar room, sparsely decorated, but cozy and warm. A bearded older man, his graying hair tied back with a leather thong, leans over a desk, tinkering with an old typewriter, muttering in Spanish._

 _"Come on, you tonto..." He thumps the typewriter's cabinet with his fists. The machine clangs as its keys click back into place. The man snorts impatiently and sits back to resume typing. But as his fingers hover over the keys, he sighs. "...Now I've forgotten where I was."_

 _A knock at the door makes him look up. Without waiting for an invitation, Estela enters, pushing the door open with her back to accommodate the large box in her arms. The man gestures melodramatically._

 _"Ah. And here is my niece who thinks she can fix everything with her fancy college degree!"_

 _Estela grins, rolling her eyes indulgently. "Hola, Tio Nicolas. I have something for you."_

 _Nicolas eyes the box suspiciously. It bears the image of a desktop computer._

 _"Estelita, I told you, I don't want that. Everything's traceable with computers."_

 _"You're not going to use it for planning revolutions, Tio. It's for your memoirs. You're never going to finish them on that rusty old thing."_

 _"It works just fine!" Nicolas declares indignantly._

 _"Does it?" Estela raises an eyebrow, gesturing at a thin stack of haphazardly typed pages on the desk. "Tio, how are you going to inspire generations of San Trobidans with your life's story if you can't even get a single chapter done?"_

 _Nicolas opens his mouth to retort, but nothing comes out. He sighs. "All right, all right. I know how futile it is to argue with you."_

 _"Good." She kisses his cheek. "Now help me unpack it." They kneel together beside the box and Estela pops open the cardboard flaps._

 _"You never give up," Nicolas grumbles good-naturedly. "Just like your mother. I should call you Livita."_

 _"I'm not a little girl anymore, Tio," Estela complains, transferring a bundle of packing material into his hands._

 _"No, you're not. She would be very proud to see you now, all grown up and on your way to great things." He sighs. "You should be somewhere exciting and full of promising young people. New York, London..."_

 _"I like it here."_

 _"San Trobida is your past, Estelita."_

 _"It's my home. We fought for this place, remember?"_

 _"I will never forget. But we're free of Salazar's corruption now. And we've sent a signal that fascism will not be tolerated here ever again."_

 _"Yes. And now it's time to take care of ourselves. Time to rebuild and plan for the future."_

 _"Are you...thinking of starting a family?"_

 _Estela smiles conspiratorially. "Maybe I am."_

 _"Ha! Didn't think I'd see the day. Perhaps I'll even be a tio abuelo. Ahh, how the time escapes me." His eyes start to mist over. He brushes at them, a bit self-consciously. Estela pretends not to notice as she plugs in the computer tower and powers it on. She hands her uncle the instruction manual._

 _"You got it from here? Call me if you need any help."_

 _"Help?" he scoffs. "I'll be fine. Just...show me where I insert the paper?"_

 _Estela laughs merrily, putting her arms around him. "Oh, Tio."_

With another bright flash, I am back on the beach. My heart spasms in my throat, and my hands are shaking. I look up at Estela, who stares at the photo, her cheeks wet with tears.

"You two okay?" Jake asks worriedly. Estela looks up, locking eyes with me. In that moment, I know that she saw the vision, too, a revelation that leaves me breathless.

"I...was that...how...?"

"I think..." I say slowly, "...that we were seeing the future. A future that could have been."

"Yes..." Estela swallows, her gaze drifting toward the shore. It lingers there, watching the waves breaking over the shore. I watch with her as foaming tongues taste the sand and then draw back again, leaving behind patches of dark, wet shadow.

I feel myself yanked off balance suddenly, pulled into Estela's strong arms. She clutches me hard, cradling my head against her soft breast. I lift my arms to grip her in return.

"It's okay," I murmur, rubbing her back. "It's okay..."

"I'd forgotten how much I miss my home," she whispers. "When I was little, all I wanted was to have a family one day..."

I don't really know what to say to that. I can only tighten my arms around her. After a moment, she pulls back, looking down at the photo in her hands. She brushes the tears from her eyes and looks up, pinning her gaze on me, then Jake, and then on me again.

"...We're going to fix this." There is determination in her voice. Determination and fierce certainty. I cannot help but feel my confidence swelling. Apparently, neither can Jake.

"Damn right we are," he says with a grin.

"No more anger. No more despair. We owe it to ourselves to fight for the future with all we've got." She looks down at the picture in her hands, and presses it to her heart. "I think maybe I...I just needed to see it to keep believing in it."

Jake nods, reaching out to clasp her shoulder. "Now that's the Estela I know."

She lifts her head sharply, glaring at him. "It's Katniss, _cabr_ _ó_ _n_."

Jake laughs. "You got it, Katniss."

Estela draws in a deep breath, as if centering herself. "All right. Sean and Craig must've seen the eruption coming. Hopefully, the found a safe place to wait it out."

Approaching footsteps make us all turn. Yvonne is jogging up to us. She stops, clearing her throat.

"Mes amis! While I was...ah...scouting, I found something else. Come. Follow me." Without waiting for a reply, she takes off again, leading us further down the beach and around a bend. In the distance, we can make out a cluster of huts resting in the shadow of a larger cliff.

"A...village?" I squint. "Those look like Vaanti huts!"

"Maybe someone there will know where the other Catalysts are," Jake suggests. "We're supposed to be kind of a big deal, after all..."

I look back at my friends. "Well, there's only one way to find out."


	2. Wave Riders

We make our way over to the cluster of huts. As we approach, I realize that some of them actually appear to be stalls, but if there are any wares for sale, they've all been packed away for the night.

"It's...some kind of market," Jake murmurs. "But it looks like everything's shuttered up."

I start to feel doubt creeping in at the edge of my mind. "Do you really think someone out here might have seen our friends?"

"It is an island after all," Yvonne remarks with a shrug. I'm not sure if that answer is a yes or a no.

"Guess we're gonna hafta start pounding on doors." Jake walks up to what looks like the central hut and raises his fist to knock. But before his fist meets the wood, a small round window on the door flies open. I yelp as a male Vaanti, his face covered by a bright orange frog mask with enormous red lips, appears in the window.

"Salabok tijii!" he growls. "We're closed!"

"Even for the Catalysts?" I ask.

Jake nods. "Twelve Catalysts of myth and legend. Well...three of them at the moment. Perhaps you've heard of us?"

"Catalysts, you say? Yes. That is very impressive. Still closed." He grunts, drawing back from the window, preparing to close it. "There were others like you at the cove recently. But not nearly as annoying!"

"Others?" I gasp. "Like us? Who? How many?"

"How should I know? Go away!"

"Wait! I, uh...I might have something that'll interest you..."

Jake looks at me in surprise. "You're gonna barter with this guy?"

I pull off my backpack and dig around inside for something that might be useful. Unfortunately, I don't seem to have much. I've got the destroyed time-portal gun, an amber arrowhead that he probably has dozens of, a few filthy quarters that have probably been there since before I even left on this trip, a bottle of Midol that's probably been there even longer than the quarters...I look around frantically, and spot something sticking out of the pocket of Jake's green bomber jacket.

"How about this sublime cigar?" I pluck Lundgren's partially-smoked Havana cigar from Jake's pocket and hold it up. "You haven't lived until you've tried one of these babies!"

Jake grins. "Princess ain't wrong. I, uh...may have sampled it a little..."

"Hmm." The Vaanti strokes his chin. "Promising."

I hold it out to him. "Okay, so I'll trade it to you for-"

"Gurgi does not need it," he snaps. "Have several. ...Your selling technique, though. That has promise."

"I...what...?"

He stares at me for a moment, chuckling softly. "Come back tomorrow and Gurgi will have a business proposition for you." With that, he slams the window shut.

"Rude," Estela mutters in irritation. Jake brings a hand to his mouth, trying in vain to cover a yawn. It occurs to me that he and Estela have probably not had a proper night's sleep in three days.

"Sounds like our best bet'll be to ask around in the morning," he murmurs.

"Agreed. In the meantime, we should probably all get some sleep."

"Good call, Princess. I think that patch of sand over there is callin' my name."

"I will take the first watch," Yvonne volunteers.

We find a secluded spot near the treeline to spend the night. Before I sleep, I take off the heaviest pieces of my amber armor and set them aside. As much as I feel safer wearing it, particularly since it protected me from a hail of bullets back at MASADA, there's just no way I could possibly sleep in it. I lie down in the sand, curling up on my side. Jake's arm curls around me, and pulls me gently against his chest. I feel him kiss my ear.

"You looked like you needed a big spoon."

I smile in the darkness, twining my fingers through his. "I definitely did."

Curled up with Jake, feeling secure and protected in his embrace, I let my exhaustion take me, dropping immediately into deep, dreamless sleep.

The distant sound of shouting breaks through the darkness. Blearily, I climb back towards consciousness, making my way to wakefulness through a dense fog. I open my eyes to find Yvonne standing in front of a market stall, now laden with wares. The same Vaanti from last night, the one with the frog mask, is there, looking highly agitated.

"Gurgi said go away!" he shouts. "We have had enough of your kind raiding and pillaging!"

"Not all of us are like that, ami," Yvonne protests. "Some of the most respectable people you will ever meet are pirates!"

"Oh, really? Is that why you pocketed those mezzberries?"

"What, these? Were they not samples?"

"You're all the same! Thieving good-for-nothings!"

Behind me, Jake stirs, sitting up groggily. "Mmmuh...whershtha fire...?" he mumbles. Nearby, Estela pushes herself up on her hands, blinking sleepily. I sit up and start to gather the discarded pieces of my armor, putting them back on.

"Come now!" Yvonne is saying. "I'm a customer like everyone else."

"Leave! Unless you have some throats to cut or property to steal!"

"C'est dommage," Yvonne sighs. She turns and walks back over to us.

"Everything okay?" I ask, fastening my cuirass. She merely shrugs, munching on a handful of berries.

I look back at the collection of huts. The little area seems to have come alive with Vaanti now, weaving in and out of stalls, examining the wares. The trader in the frog mask is trying to get their attention.

"Kostarii!" he calls. "Gurgi's stall is where dreams are bought and sold! Come trade with one who is patronized by Elyyshar Varyyn himself!"

Any lingering sleepiness vanishes in an instant. "Varyyn?" Three Catalysts escaped MASADA with Varyyn. And one of them was my best friend.

"That's our cue," Jake says, getting to his feet. He, Estela, and I rush over to the stalls, Yvonne following behind us with a scowl on her face. Several Vaanti turn as we approach, peering curiously at us behind their masks. Gurgi looks up at me.

"Ahh! Just the one Gurgi wanted to see! Come, there's a deal to be made!"

I rush over eagerly. "Varyyn was here? When? Where did he go?"

Gurgi looks up at the crowd, and then back at the wares on his counter. "Gurgi can take you to the elyyshar. But first your help is needed. You see, there hasn't been a single sale today. If things don't turn around soon, Gurgi will have to close permanently."

"We didn't come here looking for a job!" Estela snaps.

"Just help complete one barter," Gurgi pleads. "Then we go see the elyyshar."

I grit my teeth, curling my hands into fists. I don't want to delay. Diego was with Varyyn. I want him back. But I know better than to bite the hand that feeds me.

"...I...suppose that sounds simple enough."

"Hawk Frog Mart's wares?" Jake says, shaking his head in dismay. "What even is most of this stuff?"

"Pah! The value of my goods will be obvious to any who see them!"

"If you say so," Estela says skeptically. We each gather an item, and wander through the market, trying our luck with the various patrons. I pick up what looks like some kind of doll made out of wood and leaves. After about thirty minutes, I've gotten nowhere. And it doesn't seem the others have had much luck, either.

"Aw, come on!" Jake says to a disinterested Vaanti woman. "It's, uh...a hat made of bananas! What's not to like?"

"Come and get your seaweed crackers!" Yvonne calls. "Mes amis, I can attest to their deliciousness!" She stuffs one into her mouth.

"No, no!" Gurgi cries. "Those are opaba lisi! Dried leeches!" Yvonne's eyes widen and she spits out the mouthful onto the sand, gagging.

Nearby, Estela thrusts a bag at another Vaanti, her exasperation plain. "It's simple. I give you this bag of seashells and you give me something in return. Ready? And go."

"Go," the Vaanti repeats. Then he turns and continues on his way. I sigh, tossing the doll thing back on the counter. I wander over to Yvonne and cup my hands over my mouth, calling out to the gathered crowd, "Anyone wanna trade for some opaba lisi?"

To my mild surprise, a ram-masked Vaanti turns eagerly toward me. "Opaba lisi? Koh!" He removes a wriggling centipede from a pouch at his waist and holds it out to me.

"Oh!" I look down at the squirming thing. "You want to give me that in exchange?"

"Khalarat ryysa! Tosskal!" The man drops the cetipede into my hand, and happily accepts a handful of dessicated leeches.

"Yes, indeed," Gurgi declares. "Opoba lisi is a powerful aphrodisiac."

"Really?" Jake asks, wandering up to us. "Go figure."

I glance over at Yvonne, who seems to have cornered a male Vaanti beside a hut.

"Mmm, I do like a man of mystery," she says coquettishly. "Perhaps you'll give me a glimpse of your handsome face?"

The Vaanti lets out a weak, "Uhhh...", glancing around for an escape route.

"An aphrodisiac is about the last thing she needs," Estela remarks. I chuckle, turning to hand the cetipede to Gurgi. He accepts it eagerly.

"Oh, thank you, Catalysts! You have saved me!"

"Oh, don't thank us," Estela says with a smile. "That was all Alodia."

"Seriously, nice work, Princess." But my attention is on Gurgi.

"Okay, we made a sale. Will you tell us where Varyyn and our friends are now?"

Gurgi pulls out a small bundle wrapped in leaves and places it on the counter. "These are the elyyshar's requested goods. He and his entourage are camped in a hidden inlet west of the cove." He points toward a gap in the cliff face, through which I can see an expanse of beach. "Perhaps you would not mind delivering these goods to Elyyshar Varyyn?"

I don't need to be asked twice. I snatch up the bundle and run towards the inlet. Jake and Estela follow close behind me. I hear Yvonne's voice from across the market.

"I will be here if you need me, mes amis! Now where were we, mon beau mec bleu?" ...Good lord, I hope the poor man manages to escape. But selfish as it probably is, I can't think about him right now. I am thinking about another man.

We duck between an opening in the cliffs and arrive on a secluded strip of beach. Michelle, Raj, Varyyn, and Diego are sitting together on the sand. I drop the bundle and race towards them, my heart in my throat.

"Diego! _Diego!_ " Diego turns and immediately leaps to his feet, his eyes wide.

"Allie!" I throw my arms around his neck and he scoops me up, gripping me so hard it almost hurts, even through my armor. "You're okay! I knew it! I knew you had to be okay!"

"It's Alodia! It's Alodia!" Raj's massive frame nearly knocks me and Diego over when he joins in the hug.

"Alodia, thank goodness..." Michelle comes up on the other side to add herself to the group hug.

"Ah...is this a proper greeting?" I hear Varyyn ask from where I am buried inside a magnificent pile of my friends' arms. I feel him approach from behind me and awkwardly put his arms around the group. "...It is good to see you, Alodia."

"I missed you guys," I croak tearfully.

Jake clears his throat. "Hey, Estela and I are okay, too, just in case you hooligans were wondering."

They step back from me to look at Jake and Estela. Diego is the first to break away to pull them both into a hug. "Glad you two are all right. Thanks for looking after Allie for me." Jake snorts and ruffles his hair.

"You gotta know by now I ain't gonna let anything happen to her."

"Wait," Michelle says suddenly, her expression falling. "Sean was in the helicopter with you. Is he...?"

"We don't know," Estela says grimly. "After Alodia fell, he and Craig went to search along the coast while Jake and I went into the forest."

"What about Zahra?" Diego asks. "And Quinn?"

Jake's face is tight with pain. "No idea, Short Stuff. ...Skrillex fell just before Alodia. And Red..."

He trails off. I glance at Jake uncertainly. ...There are things I know about him that he doesn't know I know. Things I saw in the visions that came when I touched his idol. I know that his habit of handing out nicknames came from Mike. Just three days ago, he saw Mike alive after believing he had been dead for three years. ...Alive, but with his mind imprisoned inside some wretched cybersuit. The fact that he has barely called anyone by name since I reunited with him has not escaped me. I take his hand and squeeze it, feeling him grip back.

"...I've sent my best scouts to locate everyone," Varyyn says softly. "If the others can be found, they will find them."

"I don't like that 'if'..." Michelle declares, her voice breaking.

Raj claps his hands. "Homies, what we need right now is a dope-ass brunch. You can't be anxious on a full stomach."

"I am starving," Diego admits.

"The supplies from the trading post should arrive soon."

"Oh! Fuck me, I almost forgot!" I look around for the bundle. Apparently, Estela picked it up after I dropped it to hug Diego, because she passes it to me now. I hand it to Varyyn, who inspects it briefly before passing it to Raj.

"All right! The good stuff's finally here!" He eagerly tears into the bundle. His expression wavers slightly. "What the...a mango and a bunch of seaweed? Where's the coconut milk? And the spices?"

"Oh...I guess that's all he had?" I scratch my head awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't look in the bundle beforehand..."

Raj shake his head. "It's fine. I've made feasts with less than this. I'll just..." He falters, swallowing. "I'll just...I can...um..." He stares at the pile of seaweed and the meagerly sized mango, his hands trembling.

"...Raj...?"

"I can't make anything with this!" he screams, making us all jump. He flings the ingredients to the ground and storms off down the beach.

"I...think we broke Raj again," Diego murmurs.

I bite my lip. "You guys wait here. I'm gonna go check on him."

I hurry to catch up with Raj. To my mild surprise, he slows down to let me catch up with him. For a moment, we walk silently along the water together.

"...You okay?" I ask. As we round a rocky outcropping, light reflects off the tears on his eyelashes.

"I'm sorry, Alodia. I can't do it."

"Raj, it's okay. You don't have to prove your cooking skills. You're our resident top chef and everyone knows it."

"I know. It's just...I'm always the one to bring everyone together, to lighten the mood..." He stops walking, his gaze falling. "I don't think I can do it now, Alodia. After everything we've seen...I don't think I have it in me anymore."

I put a hand on his shoulder. I'm searching for words when a soft green glow filters onto his face. I look up sharply. The same translucent, sexless figure we encountered last night is suddenly there beside us, leading concernedly towards Raj.

"...You again?"

Raj sees who I'm talking to and yelps, staggering back. "Ohhh, god! I am too sober for this to be happening!"

"What are you?" I ask the ghostly thing. "What do you want from us?"

The figure flares with light, and extends its hand towards Raj, offering him a leatherbound book. It gestures with the book, almost imploringly. Raj looks down at it, trembling.

"...That's...Grandma's recipe book...? But...I thought that got burned up!" He shakes his head wildly. "I shouldn't. It's a trap. It's a trap!"

But my mind is making connections. I do not know what this thing is, if it's been sent by the Endless or if it's something else entirely. But if I'm right...

"It's not a trap. I've seen this before. I think it's trying to help us." I reach out to take the book. Once again, the figure vanishes the moment my fingers close around the slim volume. "Here, Raj. You'll want to see this."

Raj reaches out uncertainly, and I let the white haze consume me.

 _In an outdoor marketplace, stalls lined with brightly colored produce stretch as far as the eye can see. Raj stands in the middle of an empty walkway, surrounded by a small film crew and a cameraman._

 _"All right," a woman I assume is the director says. "Let's take it again. Can I get starting positions?"_

 _Raj frowns a little. "Sorry, uh...does somebody have my coffee?"_

 _"Get Raj his coffee, please," the director calls. "And we're rolling in 3...2...1..."_

 _The crew quiets. Raj picks up a bundle of leeks and smiles into the camera. "Hey, guys! Raj Bhandarkar here. We're outside of one of my favorite outdoor markets in the world, La Boqueria in Barcelona! As you know, my cooking is majorly inspired by my buddies from college. That's why I'm here with my bro of bros, Craig Hsiao!"_

 _Craig, in a T-shirt and denim jacket, steps up beside Raj, grinning. "Yo!"_

 _"You ready to get sickly leeked, dude?"_

 _"Uh...what?" Craig's face suddenly lights up. "Oh! You mean your grandma's chicken and leek curry? That stuff's bomb!"_

 _"You know it! We're gonna need fresh ginger, a few cinnamon sticks, and, uh..." He suddenly trails off, frowning._

 _"You okay?" the director asks._

 _"I'm fine. Sorry. Late night last night."_

 _Craig grins, clapping him on the back. "Hey, it's not his fault everyone wants to buy drinks for the star of_ Bhandarkar Fills Bellies! _"_

 _"Okay, let's try starting with the interview instead. Ready? And...action!"_

 _Raj grins into the camera again. "So, broseph, I'd ask you what your favorite food is if I didn't already know your feelings on the subject of fried chicken."_

 _Craig laughs. "I try to keep it gourmet, you know? Plus a little szechuan makes everything tastier."_

 _A series of beeps from Raj's pocket interrupts the filming again. He pulls it out of his pocket and glances at the screen._

 _"Oh, it's Chris! Sorry guys, I gotta take this real quick."_

 _"Like, Chris Winters?!" Craig yelps. "The movie star?!"_

 _The camera man stops recording as Raj puts the phone to his ear. "Chris, my boy! S'up? ...Milan? Tonight? I dunno, man...All right, all right, now we're talkin'! It's a deal. See you there, dude!" He puts his phone away and turns to the crew. "I'm gonna have to cut this short, guys."_

 _"What?!" the director yelps. "Raj, we've barely got enough footage to work with for the episode!"_

 _"We're about to get a whole lot more! We're gonna take Grandma's curry to a premiere afterparty in Milan!"_

 _"Whaaaaaaat?!" Craig cries. "Hell yeah!"_

 _"Chris wants me to take over catering. He says we can film whatever we want. You're coming, right Craig?"_

 _"Bro, Imma keep living your dream with you as long as I can!"_

The world is once again awash with light, and I am back on the beach with Raj. I release the book, smiling at him. He stares at the leatherbound volume quivering in his hands.

"Did...Alodia, did I just see the future?"

I nod, my grin widening. "Yeah. And I saw it, too."

"In my family, my grandma was the only one who believed in my cooking...Do you really think I could have my own show someday?"

"Raj, your food is already legendary with us. It's only a matter of time before other people catch on."

"...Yeah...you know, I think you're right." He flips open the recipe book, drawing in a deep breath. "All right, Grandma, let's do this!"

The two of us head back to the others. They look up as we approach, concern in their eyes.

"Everything okay, Julio Child?"

"Guys," Raj says seriously. " _The X-Files_ was right. The truth is out there!"

"You know that was just a TV show, right?" Diego deadpans. I snort, coming over to ruffle his hair with both hands.

"You're one to talk!" He laughs, swatting my hands away. Michelle frowns at Raj.

"Hey, Raj...where did you get that book?"

He shakes his head dismissively. "Never mind, doodlejumps! We're goin' back to the market!" He jogs towards the break in the cliffs.

"Come on, everyone!" I call. "Follow that chef!"

As we're making our way back to the trading post, Varyyn suddenly stops and looks out at the water. I turn to see what's caught his eye, and spot brightly-colored sails bobbing and swaying amid the tide.

"Windsurfers," he says wistfully. "This cave has the best waves in all of Vaanu."

"Little do the people of Elyys'tel know that surfing is their king's true calling," Diego says with a grin.

"You are my true calling, Diego," Varyyn replies, smiling as a blush creeps over Diego's handsome face. "...But surfing is also very good."

Diego snorts. "You just had to ruin it, didn't you?"

Varyyn smirks, leaning down to plant a kiss on the top of Diego's head.

"There you are, mon chers!" We turn to see Yvonne striding over to us, smiling widely. "My masked beau was shier than I'd expected. Though he was kind enough to give me his sea catch for the day..." She holds out a woven satchel filled with oyster shells.

"Oh, sweet!" Raj exclaims. "I should be able to crack these babies open." He digs around in the sand for a moment and pulls out a rock before sitting down next to the satchel.

"Yvonne," I say, "are you sure he _gave_ these to you? You didn't _take_ them?"

"Oh, my," Yvonne replies cheerfully, "but this is a beautiful view..."

"Ugh, these are tough," Raj mutters in annoyance. "Where's Sean when you need him?"

I can't help but notice how Michelle's expression darkens at the mention of Sean. She wanders towards the trading post, searching for something to distract her.

"What's that hut there?" she asks, pointing. "The one decorated with flowers?"

"Ahh," Varyyn says. "Someone has been joined in a handfasting."

"A handfasting?"

"In Vaanti society, when two people love each other deeply, they may choose to bond their lives together in a ceremony called Niala'rei. Before friends and family, they are symbolically joined and must spend a year and a day in each other's presence. If they still love one another after that time, their spirits are believed to become one for all eternity."

Jake comes up beside me, silently placing a hand on my back. I edge a little closer to him.

"That's...beautiful," Diego says softly, meeting Varyyn's eyes.

"A beautiful hell perhaps!" Yvonne scoffs.

Jake looks over at Raj. "How those oysters comin', Cookie?"

Raj opens his mouth to reply, but he's cut off by a scatter of cries from the Vaanti bustling through the trading post. We look up to find that they've all stopped to stare in alarm at the water.

"He is back!" Gurgi yelps. "Run for your lives!"

I pull away from Jake to find a better vantage point, and squint out across the sea. My heart leaps into my throat as I see exactly what has the Vaanti in such a panic. A massive wooden sailing ship, like a brigantine or a galleon, is cutting through the waves toward the beach.

"Is that a _pirate ship_?" Diego gasps. Yvonne's hands curl into fists.

"Malatesta," she growls through gritted teeth. "You _bastard_!"

Distant explosions accompany bursts of white smoke on the sides of the ship, and then there are cannonballs arcing through the air towards the Vaanti dwellings.

"Look out!" Estela screams. I drop to my knees, covering my head with my forearms as a hut next to me shatters apart, raining down sharp flinders. I feel debris striking at my arms and against my armor. When it seems to have all settled, I look up and find Estela in front of me. She takes my arms, helping me to my feet. The others are rushing over.

"You all right?" Jake asks anxiously, looking me over.

I nod, shaking a little. "I'm fine."

"Good reflexes," Diego quips.

"Well, someone around here has to be the clearheaded one," Michelle remarks. Around us, the Vaanti are scattering, running for the cliffs. Gurgi is at his stall, frantically gathering his goods.

"Get out of here, Catalysts!" he cries. "He's coming to-" He is interrupted by a loud thunk from the side of his stall that makes him yelp. A harpoon is lodged in the wood, connected to a hemp rope in a makeshift zipline.

"Is it the Caped Crusader?" Raj gasps.

"Please be Christian Bale, not Ben Affleck," Diego mutters.

The man in the long coat does not appear to be either Bale or Affleck. He is a tall, handsome young man with a bushy blond beard and the weathered skin of a sailor. He hops onto the sand beside Gurgi's stall. Yvonne marches over to him, her own lovely, sea-weathered face twisted with rage.

"Look what crawled out of the cesspools!" she sneers.

The man narrows his sapphire-blue eyes at her. "If it isn't my least favorite ghost. Stand aside, Yvonne. Unless you're ready to return to the grave."

"What's going on here?" I demand.

"Parley's just finishing up. Now it is time to take what's mine." He pulls a wheellock pistol from his belt.

"Malatesta, you scabrous bilge eel!" Yvonne roars. "I'm not about to let you sack this place!"

"These people live peacefully here!" Varyyn growls. "You will not harm them."

"Wait, Malatesta?" I gape at the man in front of me. "You mean this is your old captain?"

"The very same," Yvonne confirms flatly. She draws her own pistol, but with a sharp crack and a puff of smoke, Malatesta shoots it from her hand and sends it tumbling across the sand.

"Missed," he sneers. "I was aiming at your head. Second time's the charm, eh?"

"Stop!" I shout. "That's enough!" Malatesta turns to me, looking me over with a critical eye.

"Tell me, Yvonne. Who is the tiny one with the yellow hair? She is the size of a kitten, and yet in that armor she clearly fancies herself a lioness."

"My name is Alodia!" I snap. "And you can turn right around and sail away. There is nothing of value here."

"How dare you!" Gurgi squawks indignantly.

"That's a little harsh, Allie," Diego adds plaintively.

"Gurgi works night and day to supply this shop with..." He trails off suddenly, catching my eye. "...With...nothing! Gurgi has nothing!"

"You don't gotta tell us twice," Raj agrees.

"You see?" I say, looking back at Malatesta. "Are you really gonna try to kill people over fruit and seashells?"

Malatesta is already reloading his pistol. "I said the talking is finished, little kitten. Get out of my way!"

Yvonne lets out a wordless roar of fury and runs headlong at Malatesta, tackling him into the surf. They devolve into what can only be described as a brawl, neither gaining the upper hand as they wrestle and box in the shallow water.

"That's it!" Gurgi shouts. "Give him a good throttling!"

Diego moans. "I can't watch! They're like bloodthirsty animals on _National Geographic!"_

"More like animals in heat," I mutter, smirking in spite of myself. "I almost wonder if we should give them some privacy."

Finally, soaking wet and heaving with exhaustion, the two pirates stop and break apart, glaring murderously at each other.

"You always thought you were better at everything!" Malatesta snarls.

"I am better, you pox-ridden guttersnipe! You remember what you told me on the coast of Barbados? That you were the greatest wave rider? You were wrong! I was I who was the best!"

"Tell it to my arse! You're a wave rider like a cabin boy's a first mate!"

"Okay, I'm seeing your point, Allie," Diego murmurs to me. "This is clearly foreplay."

Malatesta points to the natural pillars rising out of the sea in the distance. "See those columns over there? I'd bet my ship ye couldn't get a group around the lot of them in less than an hour's time!"

Yvonne straightens, raising an eyebrow. "What did you say?"

"I said, I bet my ship ye can't..." He stops, his eyes going wide. "Oh...never mind..."

"Oho! You can't get out of it now, you leprous barrel monkey! You're on!"

Malatesta growls in frustration. "Fine, ye fork-tongued scalamagdrion. But come back in more than an hour and I get every last plantain and filbert out of that stall, understand? Blasted blue elves owe me after what they did to me crew! And if your friends even try to stop me, I'll blast this place sky high!"

"What?!" Gurgi yelps. "No! No deal!"

"Bon," Yvonne declares. "The wager is accepted. And since I get to choose a condition as well, I select Alodia to represent me in the test of skill."

"Wait...windsurfing?" I sputter.

Yvonne retrieves her hat and straightens her jacket, making her way out of the surf and over to me. "Oui. For a ship. A ship that will help us find your friends." She slings an arm around my shoulders and whispers in my ear. "The fact is, he's right. I am a terrible wave rider."

"But then, why would you..."

"Tricks of the trade, ma fille!"

Malatesta pulls out a small hourglass and trudges toward the other side of the cove. The rest of us follow.

"Woooo! It's on!" Raj crows.

"Oh, boy," I groan. "What have I gotten into...?"

"You will do very well," Varyyn says reassuringly. "You bested even Uqzhaal at quuk'tanoi."

"Yeah," Jake agrees. "It was enough to win you a mask. You'll be fine."

I look to where Malatesta has managed to acquire two boards. "I guess I won't be alone out there...but I don't know who I'm supposed to take with me."

"Well, if you're looking for speedy maneuvering, Jake's your dude," Raj says. "He killed it in our jet ski race at The Celestial. And we all know you two work well together."

"But Alodia's going to need stamina and control more than speed," Michelle argues. "Those pillars are scattered way out. I think Estela might be a stronger choice."

"Or Varyyn," Diego suggests. "He understands the area better than anyone. He's been coming to this cove for years."

Yvonne is hoisting the single sails on the two unclaimed boards. She smiles coyly at me. "Who will it be, Alodia?"

I sigh heavily. "Sensible as it might be to take someone who knows the area, Raj is not wrong when he says Jake and I work well together. And not just for the obvious reasons." In spite of myself, I grin at him. "We're proven to work well in tandem, by land, sea, or air."

"I like the way you think, Princess. Time to get wet." He pulls off his shirt and heads over to the surfboards. I carefully remove my armor, and strip off the clothes underneath until I'm down to my bra and panties.

"You've got one hour to make it around the farthest pillar and back," Malatesta informs us. "A breath longer, and it's time to pay up or get blown up. ...Go!"

He flips the hourglass and slams it down in the sand. Jake and I grab the sails on our boards and run toward the water. When the water reaches our knees, we swing ourselves onto the boards and angle the sails backwards. I grasp the rig attached to the sail and feel the sail catch the wind and push me forward.

"I think this is probably the quickest path," Jake calls. He maneuvers and harnesses the wind, taut muscles rippling under his skin. "Stick close, Princess, and we'll be home in time for supper!"

"Only if you can keep that up!" I call back.

We skim along the water's surface, and I start to wonder what I was so worried about. I survived quuk'tanoi, and it seems whatever windsurfing skills got me through that aren't as rusty as I feared. As we near the first set of columns, a huge wave comes crashing through the area around us, forcing us toward the cliffs. In the water below us, I see a school of fish riding the powerful current, and follow their example.

"Let's give it all we got!" I call.

"What floats your boat floats my boat, Princess!"

We angle our sails back and surge along the cliffside. Carefully, we make our way through the jagged spurs of rock. It's not long before the final column comes into view. We plot a safe course and round the pillar smoothly, turning back toward the shore. We wind our way back through the colonnade, eyes on the prize. As we pass a rock outcropping, something heavy and black drops onto my sail.

"What the hell is..." I look up and hear myself yelp when I find a large black spider crawling down the sail fabric.

"Good gravy!" Jake exclaims. "Keep cool, Princess. He probably just wants a ride or something."

"Well, he's weighing me down!" I reach up to grab the creature. "Get off my boat!"

To my unwelcome surprise, my fingers close around something metal. The spider's limbs are mechanical. Instead of a head, there's what can only a tiny camera. The moment I tighten my grip even slightly, I hear a crunch as the delicate machinery crumbles. I keep it clasped in my palm as I turn my attention back to my task. I won't throw it overboard now. It may be useful later. I lean my sail into the wind, gunning for the shore.

Finally, Jake and I glide smoothly onto the beach. At the other side of the cove, I notice a small crowd of Vaanti have gathered to watch us. Our friends cheer as we climb ashore.

"Damn!" Raj gushes. "You guys were like a couple of those walks-on-water lizards!"

I rush towards Malatesta, my heart knocking painfully against my ribs as I peer at the hourglass. I let out a shuddering breath.

"There's still sand running through it! We did it!"

Malatesta stares at the hourglass, his eyes wide with disbelief. "...No..."

Yvonne grins wickedly. "Oui."

"No!" he bellows, violently kicking over the hourglass and sending sand flying. "No! No! You cheating little wench!"

"I believe you mean Respectable Sea Captain, cheri. Now, say the words."

"I won't!"

"Say them or I'll tell everyone from here to Tortuga-"

"Fine!" Malatesta grits his teeth, his hands curling into fists at his sides. " _The Dorado_...is yours."

"Hahaaaaa!" Yvonne crows. She pulls off her hat and descends into a sweeping bow, grinning at us. "Make whatever preparations you need, amis! We depart at dusk!"

"Well, we won't sail on empty stomachs!" Raj declares. "Let me back at those oysters!" The others disperse slightly, but Varyyn and Diego hang behind with me as I pull my clothes back on.

"I guess we're gonna be a pirate crew," Diego remarks, grinning. "Can't say I'm complaining!"

"If everything works out, maybe we'll find the others sooner this way."

"Alodia, you have my deepest gratitude for solving this conflict peaceably," Varyyn says. "I'll make sure my scouts know where we're headed."

Diego shades his eyes, looking towards the sun, which is already sinking low on the horizon. "Gonna be another beautiful sunset." He gasps. "Ohmygod, Allie! Have you been up into the hills yet? Varyyn showed me this spot where you can see for miles out to sea."

He points to a secluded hilltop, thickly covered in soft, swaying grass. It looks inviting, even from where I am now.

"A very special place, that," Varyyn says, nodding sagely. "The view of the sunset from there is...inspiring."

Diego elbows me. "You should totally take a certain someone up there while we've got a couple hours to kill."

"Especially if you would like them to fall in love with you," Varyyn adds. I can't help myself. I burst out laughing.

"Geez, guys! Matchmaker much?"

Diego grins and comes up behind me, grabbing my upper arms and swaying with me while he sings, "Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match!" On the last word, he shoves me gently towards Jake, who is at the water's edge, vigrously rubbing sand and saltwater out of his hair. Relenting, I walk over to him. My armor is still discarded on the beach, but I have a feeling I won't need it for a bit.

Coming up behind Jake, I cinch my arms around his waist and nuzzle his neck. He chuckles. "Hello to you, too, Princess."

"So, there's a secluded hilltop over there, and a gorgeous sunset due very shortly. Care to join me?"

"Is, uh, clothing optional?"

"Might be. Wanna find out?" Jake turns in my embrace and laces his fingers together at the small of my back.

"Absolutely."

Hand in hand, we make our way up the hill. When we reach a sharp incline, Jake leaps it deftly before offering me his hand with a playful smile.

"You remember the last time we went hiking together?" he asks. I take his hand.

"That feels like forever ago," I reply as I hop over the incline.

"Time is so weird on this island, maybe it was."

"I'm glad there's no rock climbing on this one, though. I have a feeling we'll need our energy for the top." I wink coquettishly.

We reach the top within a few more minutes. I immediately feel the breath rush out of my body. The sky looks like the sort of sunset painters dream of. The impossibly beautiful palette of pastel pink and lush orange brushed with fingers of purple, the dramatic swirl of color around the sinking sun, look like something a film crew labored to create to set the perfect romantic mood, even knowing no one would be paying that much attention to the background. Meanwhile, the sea glistens in the bath of light, the water dark and sultry in contrast to the colors reflected on its undulating surface. I feel my throat tightening.

"Oh, god...I've never seen anything more beautiful in my life..."

"I was just thinking the same thing," Jake murmurs. I turn to look at him and realize he's staring at me. I can't help laughing, and give him a playful swat.

"That was corny as hell, Top Gun."

"Aww, you saying you don't like corn, Princess?"

"It's like when those ridiculous action movies try to shove a romance plot in at the end."

"Hey!" he says indignantly. "Action movies are awesome!"

I grin. "...I like them, too," I confess. He raises an eyebrow.

"Seriously?"

"Diego insists on watching _Die Hard_ every Christmas. You could say I was indoctrinated." The memory tugs at the corner of my mind, an image of Diego curled up on the sofa under a blanket, munching air-popped popcorn from plastic bowl while the movie flickers on the screen across the room...

"So Pop Culture Petey has some taste after all."

"Yeah..."

We sit down together in the grass, and I nestle into Jake's side. He winds an arm around me as the wind picks up, trailing cool fingers over our faces. For a moment, I close my eyes, savoring the scent of the man beside me. Sweat and saltwater, notes of spicy-sweet cologne woven deep into the fibers of his green bomber jacket and lingering even though he probably hasn't reapplied the stuff since we landed on the island god-knows-how-long ago...

"So, what do you like about action movies?" he asks me. I open my eyes.

"The protagonists," I answer promptly. "They always manage to keep it together even when the world around them is falling apart."

"That must be why I like you."

"What?"

"Feel like you just described yourself there, Princess." I snort, elbowing him lightly.

"Flatterer." I turn to him with a grin. "You know...I may well be pretty, but I think I would look even better kissing you. I mean, have you seen yourself?"

Jake grins back, bringing his other arm around me. "What's a pair of good-looking people on a romantic sunlit cliff to do?"

"I have a few ideas," I reply, brushing a few strands of hair from his eyes. I close the distance between us, pressing my mouth to his. He kisses me back eagerly, hands slipping under my shirt. I'm glad I didn't put my armor back on immediately.

Since I fell from the chopper, Jake's horrified face has haunted me. Suddenly, all the tension I've built up since then, all the fear I've been forcing down since we've been separated just so I could stand a chance of keeping it together long enough to actually find him...all the wild relief and desire I've held back since I saw him again...everything...absolutely everything is bubbling up and threatening to consume me. He tugs at my clothes, his whole body quivering, and I know he's feeling the same.

"Princess...do you want to...?"

"Yes," I whisper. "Right now."

"Good."

We pull desperately at each other's clothes, tearing them off as fast as our hands will move, and it isn't fast enough. Not for me. He laughs in my ear as I fumble with his belt.

"In a rush there, Princess?"

"Are you asking me to slow down?"

"Not a chance."

He sheds the rest of his clothes and rolls on top of me, kissing me hungrily. Then, for just a moment, he breaks the kiss and pushes himself up on his elbows to look down at me. One hand strokes my face, brushing stray wisps of hair from my forehead.

"Alodia..."

"...Jake..." His hand drifts down my body towards my hips. I gasp, arching my back as his fingers find a sensitive spot and press in gently. I reach down to grasp his lower back, pulling his hips towards mine. He sinks into me easily, and we find our rhythm. It doesn't take long. We may have not known each other long...but all things considered, we have probably known each other for at least a thousand lifetimes. How many times have we fallen in love? Did it take longer before? Did it happen so quickly this time only because we already knew it was meant to be? Does any of that really matter, when I'm here and entwined in pleasure with the man I love? No. Fuck destiny. Fuck fate. Fuck La Huerta. Fuck the Endless. Right now, nothing matters except me and Jake, together in front of the sunset.

"Alodia...Alodia...I love you..."

"I love you, Jake..." My fingers curl into his flesh as I throw my head back, moaning with ecstacy, not caring who hears. Finally, satisfied and slick with sweat, Jake rolls off me, nuzzling close to me on the grass. The breeze has turned cooler, and as it passes over my sweat-soaked skin, I shiver. Jake smiles a little, grabbing his jacket and drawing it over me like a blanket. I smile, curling into him.

"...How 'bout that sunset, huh?"

"It's pretty great, Princess. But it's great because I get to share it with you."

"What can I say? I have a great copilot. Really makes a difference."

… I don't know why I said that. As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I know I've made a mistake. But the way Jake's expression suddenly alters frightens me. Suddenly, he's looking through me, his gaze distant and haunted. I raise a hand to stroke his cheek, trying not to tremble.

"Jake? You okay?" He shakes his head slightly, as if waking himself up. He clears his throat and sits up.

"We should...uh...we should go back..."

"Wait, what?"

He offers me a half-hearted smile. "Don't wanna climb down in the dark, right?" He starts to get up, but I catch his arm, pulling him back down.

"Jake, let me help you," I plead softly. "I can't help you work through whatever's going on if you don't talk to me." It's hypocritical as hell for me to be saying anything like that, but I'll let him scold me later if necessary. Right now, I only care about him. My grip on his arms tightens and he meets my gaze. His eyes start to water as his composure cracks. Finally, a strangled sob escapes him.

"I'm not good to my copilots, okay?!" he cries. "Everyone I care about's been hurt because of me! Whether I run or fight, _something_ happens, and I..." He trails off, exhaling hard. He looks out over the water as if searching for answers from the sea. He picks up a fistful of dirt and grass and throws it over the cliffs edge. I stroke his back, gently.

"I'm here, Jake," I murmur. "I'm right here."

He lets his head fall into his hands. "...I love you, Alodia. I love you so much. I want to give you the best life I can. But when I think of everything I've had to do to survive the last few years, I just..." He tilts his head back, running his fingers through his hair. "You don't deserve to deal with that. To deal with _me."_

He lowers his hands, looking back out over the water. I lay a hand on his shoulder and kiss his cheek.

"Hey. I think I get to decide what I deserve." His eyes snap towards me. He looks uncertain. Skeptical. "We've been through more together than anyone else in this world could understand. By all accounts, we should be dead, insane, or both. But whenever things got tough, you were there. Whenever I didn't know what to do, you did. Given all we're facing, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have by my side."

Jake stares at me for a long moment. Finally, I see the ghost of a real smile on his lips. He draws me close and kisses me gently, gratefully.

"You're somethin' else, you know that?"

"I try." I look back out over the horizon, where the sun has almost entirely vanished. "We should probably get back. We'll be leaving for the ship soon."

"Yeah. Don't want Blondbeard getting his panties in a twist."

We gather our discarded clothes and start to pull them back on. Jake shrugs on his jacket, pausing a moment.

"Hey, Alodia...Thanks. I mean it."

"Anytime, Jake. _I_ mean it. ...I love you."

"...Love you, too, Princess."

Back on the beach, Raj has turned oysters, seaweed, and mango into stew with his usual skill and flair. We fill our bellies, and then Jake helps me put my armor back on. The moon is coming into view as we make our way onto a pair of rowboats bound for the galleon anchored in the harbor.

"Guess Frenchie and Cap'n Crunch are already aboard," Jake muses.

Diego grins. "Hey, guys, think we'll get to release the kraken?"

"This time there'll be rum, right?" Raj asks. "I mean, there's gotta be..."

I chuckle, looking back towards the marketplace, where a large crowd has gathered around Gurgi's stall.

"Now Gurgi can not only boast that the elyyshar is his patron, but the Catalysts, too," I remark. "Looks like he might be getting a little more than he bargained for."

"May he do well with it," Varyyn replies mildly.

As we reach the ship, a rope ladder is lowered for us, and we ascend it one at a time. At the top, I hop over the side and find myself on an ornately appointed deck. Yvonne waits to greet us.

"Welcome aboard _The Dorado,_ mes amis! She is quite yar, non?"

"Lovely," I agree, glancing around. "But...is it just us?"

"Just us and la femme mysterieuse."

"...Who?"

"She means the witch," Malatesta mutters, gesturing towards the prow of the ship. I turn to look, and I feel my heart stop.

A woman in jeans and a brown suede jacket stands at the prow of the ship, her back to me as she gazes out at the water. I can't see her face, but I don't need to. A long, copper-colored braid cascades over her shoulder, tumbling to her waist. I would know her anywhere. I speak her name, my voice coming out in a weak croak.

"...Quinn...?"


	3. The Other Half

Hearing what I've just said, the others are immediately beside me, staring at the woman silhouetted in moonlight on the prow. She turns towards us. It's Quinn all right, but for a moment, I feel dread flooding through me. Will she know us? Is it her, or just something wearing her face? Her eyes go wide as they find my face in the encroaching darkness.

"Alodia!" she cries.

"Oh my god!" Diego gasps. "It's you!"

"It can't be..." Michelle whispers. "Can it?"

"You were hit with a rocket!" Raj yelps. "We saw you explode!"

"Hang on," Jake says. "Are we talking to Ariel? ...Or Ursula?"

Quinn puffs out her cheeks, her rosebud mouth twisting into her familiar, adorable pout. "It's me. Don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt anyone."

I laugh, rushing forward to pull her into my arms. She holds me back, resting her chin on my shoulder.

"It's you, Quinn! It's really you!"

"Of course it is, silly!" She pulls back to look at the rest of the group. "I'm so glad I've finally found all of you."

"Have you seen any sign of the others?" I ask anxiously.

"They would surely be here if she had," Estela says.

"You don't know that," Diego protests. "She might have information."

Quinn shakes her head sadly. "Estela's right, I'm afraid. I don't know where anyone else is at this point."

Everyone, even Estela, looks disappointed at that. I can't say I don't feel the same, but I force myself to smile reassuringly.

"We're gonna find them soon. For now, we're just happy to have you back." Almost before the last word is out of my mouth, Quinn sucks in a sharp breath, doubling over and grasping my shoulder for support. I brace her, my pulse accelerating. "Woah! Quinn, are you okay?"

"Malatesta!" Estela whirls on the pirate, her eyes narrow. "If you've hurt her-"

"It's not him," Quinn says quickly. "It's..." she trails off, looking over her shoulder as if she's afraid she's being followed.

"Is it...the thing? The thing that gave you your powers?" Her eyes meet mine, and there's something in them that I've seen before. A mixture of relief and loss. It was the same look she gave me when she learned that the illness that had plagued her since childhood was gone.

"You make it sound like I'm a superhero. The things I could do before...I doubt I'd be able to do them again. I lost my connection to the presence after the rocket hit."

"How do you know it's gone?"

"I tried reaching out to it again. I wanted to fly, to see if I could find everyone. But...I couldn't."

"So...whatever it was got...used up? No more superpowers?"

"A lot _less_ superpowers," she clarifies. "I constantly feel...hollow. Incomplete. Like the most important part of me got taken away."

"What do you mean?" Michelle asks.

Quinn draws away from me, turning back toward the sea. "I'm so sorry, everyone. I remember everything...What I did...what I felt when it was controlling me. The Island's Heart is broken into two halves. The presence wanted to find them desperately."

"That would explain...a few things," I say thoughtfully. "Then we need to get back the piece Rourke took and try to find the rest of it."

"...We do?" Diego asks, startled.

"The Heart contains so much energy. More than you could imagine. If Rourke gets both halves, he'll be able to alter time however he wants." Quinn clutches her chest, staggering a little. "It's like I'm chained to it. And anytime it pulls me, it hurts."

"We gotta fix this," Jake murmurs.

"It's okay," Diego says, trying and failing to cover his anxiety. "Everything's gonna be alright. I'm sure there's something we can do...right?"

"There is," Estela says firmly. "We can start by getting the other half before Rourke does."

Varyyn nods. "Agreed. The Hydra has no right to command the Heart."

"How would we find it, though?" I ask. "It wasn't exactly a cakewalk getting to the first half at Elyys'tel."

"...I think I can bring us to its location," Quinn says.

Behind us, Malatesta growls, crossing his arms over his chest. He is clearly not pleased by the direction of this conversation. Yvonne rolls her eyes.

"Zut alors, Mal, are you truly so thick-headed?"

"I don't care what kind of bet we made! This is still my ship! You lot won't be using it for your nonsense!"

"Mon dieu, I really cannot believe you! In any case, this is not your ship anymore! We are going to help Alodia's friend whether you like it or not."

"So it's a 'we' now, Yvie? Since when did you reduce yourself to traipsing about with children?"

"Watch it, Davy Groans!" Jake snaps. "You're a little outnumbered here."

Malatesta puffs his chest, swaggering up to Jake, who draws himself up to his full height and locks eyes with the pirate. Yvonne stomps her boot against the deck.

"Arrete!" she snaps. Suddenly, her expression changes. She strolls up to Malatesta, her hips swaying. Jake raises an eyebrow as she gets between him and the pirate, laying a hand on the blond man's chest and easing him back.

"I think I like where this is going."

"I think you'll want to cooperate with mes amis enfants, Mal."

Malatesta turns his impressive height on Yvonne, crossing his arms across his broad chest. "Oh? And what makes you say that?"

Yvonne grasps his lapels, pulling him down to match her short stature and brings her lips to his ear. I can't make out what she says, but Malatesta's eyes go wide.

"You wouldn't dare! You detest me!"

"Perhaps, just perhaps, I could be persuaded..."

As the two of them begin exchanging furtive remarks in whispered French, the rest of us watch in dumbfounded silence.

"You could cut the tension out here with a curved blade," Diego remarks. Finally, Malatesta raises his sour gaze, pinning it on the rest of us.

"All right, we'll have it your way, but you'll follow my instructions all the way there! This is a pirate ship, not a play pen!"

Jake grins, saluting him. "Aye aye, Cap'n Crunch."

As conversation resumes buzzing around me, I inch over to Yvonne. "So, what did you say to him to make him change his mind," I ask under my breath.

Yvonne merely winks at me. "I never kiss and tell."

Malatesta grumbles under his breath, pulling a flask from his coat and gulping its contents. "God help me." He glares daggers at us all. "All right, beds are down below. Witch, stay put for navigation. Out with all of you!"

Quinn heads over to the helm and begins turning it with all her diminutive might. She smiles down at us. "Welcome aboard, everyone!"

On the ship's lower level, we find a series of crude bunks and hammocks with patchy blankets and shapeless pillows sewn from canvas and stuffed with feathers. Jake climbs into a corner bunk and holds out his arms to me.

"Room for another, Princess." I smile and remove my armor before curling up with him. I'm asleep the moment my head hits the rough, shapeless pillow.

The next thing I am aware of is the sound of splashing, followed by Raj's yelping voice.

"No! Don't eat me! I know my name is on the menu, but that doesn't mean...Oh...I was asleep."

I lift my head, blinking sleep from my eyes. Jake seems to have gotten up already, but Malatesta is there, glaring down at me, Raj, and Michelle, a wooden bucket full of seawater in his hand.

"Up with you!" he barks. "There's work to be done! This is a pirate ship, not a lodge!"

"I'm up! I'm up!" Raj answers with just a hint of a whine in his voice. "Geez, dude."

Michelle rolls out of her hammock, inching away from Malatesta, eying the bucket in his hand. "Rude," she mutters.

Malatesta turns to me, holding up the bucket threateningly. "And you, baby lioness? Will you also need encouragement?"

I scowl defiantly at him. "Don't you dare. It's hard enough to keep my hair nice these days without you dumping seawater on it!"

"An attack on Alodia's hair is an attack on my hair!" Michelle adds. "And you _don't_ attack my hair."

"Out!" Malatesta bellows. "All of ye!"

"I'll be right up," I tell Raj and Michelle. "Just need to re-armor. Never know when we're gonna run into trouble in this place."

I carefully secure the amber pieces into place and wander up onto the deck, where the others are milling about. Diego spots me and grins.

"Ahoy, Allie. Looks like it's a pirate's life for us!"

I grin back. "Your lifelong dream."

"Scrawny one!" Malatesta snaps. "I told ye to clean those scuppers!"

Diego sighs. "Yeah, okay, but you never explained what scuppers even are..."

"Bonjour, Alodia!" Yvonne's voice comes from above me, and I look up to see her in the crow's nest, her legs dangling over the edge, a spyglass in her hand. I wave back to her before wandering over to the prow, where Jake and Raj are organizing bundles of rope. Jake is demonstrating an elaborate, many-looped knot, his calloused fingers moving deftly and surely.

"It's not that hard, Pineapple Express. You're overthinking it."

"How are you so good at this?" Raj grumbles.

"Naval Academy taught a little, but I kept learning as a hobby. You'd be surprised at some of the situations where it comes in handy."

"Is that so?" I can't resist asking. He starts a little at the sound of my voice, and I see a blush creep over his cheeks.

"Oh, Princess! Didn't see you there."

I grin wickedly. "Please, I'd love to hear about all the practical applications of tying rope."

Jake coughs into his fist. He looks like he's about to reply, but a cry from Yvonne above us interrupts him.

"Mes amis! You'll want to see this!" She descends the ladder down to the deck in a few graceful bounds and rushes over to hand me the spyglass, pointing towards the shore. I raise the glass to my eye and look in the direction she's indicating. My heart drops, splashing into my stomach. Sean and Craig are on the shore, bound, gagged, on their knees and surrounded by Arachnid troops.

"Sean and Craig." My voice quivers. "And Arachnid. They've been captured."

"You see them?" Michelle asks anxiously.

"Let me see." I pass the spyglass to Estela. She peers through it and frowns. "...Did you see who else is there?"

She hands the spyglass back to me, and I look again, letting the lens drift away from my captive friends. As two more familiar faces come into view, I wince.

"It's Aleister. ...And Mike." I yelp when I see them board a military speedboat. The other soldiers pull Sean and Craig to their feet and drag them toward the vessel. "They're getting on a boat!"

"Not on my damned watch!" Jake growls. "Let's board them. Now."

I lower the spyglass and turn to Jake, knowing my worry is reflected on my face. "Jake, Mike almost killed us before. ...Are you sure we can stop him?"

"I can't just not try, Alodia. I can't." He rubs a hand over his face. "Just focus on getting Sean and Craig to safety. I'll handle Mike."

Malatesta clears his throat impatiently. "Quit yer gawking! There's much to be done!"

"Gawking?!" Quinn whirls on him, her sapphire eyes snapping with rare fury. "Our friends have been kidnapped! Are you really gonna try to stop us from rescuing them?!"

"Stop you? Miss Witch, I'm going to help you!" He smirks. "This is a pirate ship, not a peace vessel. You wanna raid a ship? Ye're speaking my language."

Yvonne chuckles. "Nice to see you in bonne humeur for once, you sludge-eating flatfish."

"Don't play nice, you conniving harpy! You'll not take more booty than me! Miss Witch, take us starboard!"

"Aye, aye!" Quinn agrees, dashing for the helm. "Changing course!"

I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn to find Yvonne beside me. "If you are joining us on a raid, ma chere, you should fly our colors."

"...What?"

"That beautiful armor is more befitting of a knight than a pirate. Besides, it is too heavy for a battle upon La Mer. Come."

She grasps my hand and pulls me across the deck to where a plain chest sits between a couple barrels. She swiftly kicks the chest open, revealing garments of soft muslin and tailored leather.

"Woah..."

"Remove those amber pieces, quickly," she orders me. "I'll find you something suitable." She rummages around, yanking out several pieces and draping them over her arm, while I get out of my armor as fast as I can manage. Within a few minutes, I've swapped armor and the leggings and tank top I had been wearing underneath for a linen shirt, leather bodice, breeches, and boots. I look myself over and grin at my friends. I have to admit, I like the look.

"Arrr, me hearties!" I crow.

Diego laughs. "Yaaas! Jack Sparrow's got nothing on you!"

"Color me impressed," Michelle agrees. "You somehow manage to make ren faire clothes look good."

Jake looks up and does a double take, his jaw dropping. I waggle my eyebrows.

"Like what you see, sailor?"

"Damn, Princess. You can board my ship any time."

I take just enough time to wink at him before hurrying to the side of the ship and raising the spyglass to my eye again. Aleister's narrow gaze is pinned on _The Dorado._ He turns to shout orders to the soldiers. The troops take up formation on the speedboat and raise their guns. The engine revs to life.

"They're trying to run for it! We'll never catch them in this ship!"

"Aye? Then I'd say it's time to even the odds. Miss Witch, bring us in! Yvonne, catch the sail to the wind!" Malatesta catches my eye and points to a pile of giant chains and a spear tip the size of my head. "Little Lioness, hook the spearhead to the boom chains, and then load it into the cannon!"

It takes me a couple of seconds, but I manage to hook the spearhead onto the heavy chain, and load it into the cannon. Under Malatesta's approving eye, I fasten the first chainlink onto the barrel.

Diego whistles. "You're a natural at this pirate thing, Allie."

Malatesta prepares the flint rocks, looking down at me. "That was just the first test, Little Lioness. Once I light it, aim at the boat's broadside." He whips around to the others. "Cover your ears and hold onto something!"

He strikes the flint, bringing the fuse to life. I throw my weight into holding the cannon's aim steady at the military ship's flank.

"There?"

"Aye, we'll make a salty dog out of ye yet! Now hold on!"

A deafening explosion rips through the air. The recoil sends me sprawling across the deck as the spearhead launches from the cannon with chains trailing behind like a kite tail. I scramble to my feet, watching anxiously. Just when it looks like the speedboat is getting too far ahead, the sharp blade pierces its metal-clad hull. The military ship lurches wildly as it's snared by the boom chain. Through the ringing in my ears, I start to make out shouting from the other ship. On the deck of _The Dorado,_ everyone springs into action, rushing to prepare for boarding.

Malatesta claps me on the back. "Well done, lass! Now, I got three things to tell ye about raiding. One, don't die."

Arachnid soldiers are taking aim at the boom chain, but their bullets ricochet harmlessly off the heavy links. Raj has found an armory cabinet and is pulling out swords and daggers, sliding them to the others.

"So what if they got guns! We're gonna slice, dice, and julienne them! ...And that just made me hungry..."

"Raj!" I call. "Over here!" He slides a cutlass over to me. I scoop it up and take a few practice swings before sliding it into the sheath at my belt.

"Secondly," Malatesta continues, apparently unphased by the interruption, "the sea's as much a weapon as any blade. Use her to your advantage."

The stretch of water between the two sea vessels is closing quickly. Jake pulls out a rope net covered in iron weights.

"We can subdue a bunch of them with this!"

"And three," Malatesta concludes, raising his voice to address all of us, "TAKE NO PRISONERS!"

"Except, you know, our friends!" Diego clarifies hastily. "Who are prisoners. We want them."

"Come, mes amis! A l'abordage!" Yvonne and Malatesta grab free-hanging ropes. Jake, Estela, Raj, and I immediately leap up to do the same. Looking down at the vast expanse of water beneath me, feeling the wind whip at my hair, I feel my heart wedge in my throat for a moment. Steeling myself, I open my mouth to let out a battle cry.

"For Sean and Craig!" I scream, taking a wild leap. For a moment, I'm free-falling. Then, the rope pulls taut and I swing towards the Arachnid speedboat. When I can see something solid beneath me, I let go, dropping gracefully onto the rear deck. Sean and Craig have been lashed to the rails on the far side of the deck. They cry out around their gags when they see us, struggling against their bonds.

"Enemy sighted!" I hear the modulated voice of an Arachnid soldier, and the click of weapons being readied and aimed.

"Stop!" Aleister's voice is shrill with alarm. "Don't shoot! All of you stand down!"

"What?!" one soldier cries. "We are literally being attacked!"

Aleister glares at the soldier, his breath coming through gritted teeth. "I represent Everett Rourke here, and I order you to _stand down!"_

The masked soldiers hesitate a moment, looking between each other. Finally, they lower their weapons. Aleister turns to stare at us, shock and disbelief plain on his face.

"Y-you're alive...you're all alive..."

"No thanks to you," Estela snaps.

"Father said you tried to escape. That you were all gunned down. That you'd all rather die than be his prisoners."

"Get a grip, Malfoy!" Jake growls. "For how smart you act, you're good at playing dumb when it's convenient!"

"That's not-"

"Think about it! Your father has lied to you your entire life. Why would this be any different?!"

"Aleister," I say softly. "Rourke tried to kill us the moment you left with Grace."

My words seem to fall like a physical blow. Aleister recoils, trembling. "I...I didn't know," he whispers. "I swear. I'm so sorry!"

"Like hell you are!" Estela snarls. "If you're so sorry, why are our friends tied up and held at gunpoint?!"

Aleister's eyes dart between us as if searching for an escape route. He runs his hands through his hair. "It...it's complicated..."

Mike strides up beside Aleister, his bionic eye glinting menacingly in the sunlight. "Sir. The hostages are our first priority."

I feel Jake faltering beside me. "Aw, Mike," he says plaintively. "You'd never go along with this! Is any of you left in there? Wake up!"

Mike is still as a statue. Only his arm moves, arching slowly upward to level a gun at Jake. Impulsively, I get between them. Malatesta draws a pistol, aiming it at Mike.

"This is an awful lot of talking for a raid. We fighting or not?"

"Alodia!" Aleister looks at me with desperation in his eyes. "You're the leader here. Where you go, the others will follow. You know that, right? ...Walk away. Please. Just walk away. I don't want to hurt you."

Still planted firmly between Jake and Mike, I put my hand on the hilt of my cutlass. "I don't leave without Sean and Craig."

The desperation in his eyes gives way to heartbreak. "...You're a damned fool, Alodia." Then the heartbreak turns to cold resignation. "So be it. Guards! Capture them! Keep them alive!"

The troops immediately take up defensive positions around Aleister, Sean, and Craig.

"Yvie," Malatesta murmurs. "Ye still got your perfume?"

"I never leave shore without it." From the pouch at her waist, she pulls out a small ball with a pin in it. Malatesta takes it, bites the pin, and tosses it towards the deck. As it rolls at the soldiers' feet, a smoke screen starts to pour out of it, spreading rapidly.

"Stay together!" one soldier cries. Through the haze, two fists that crackle with electricity rapidly materialize.

"Ready to dance, kid?" a feminine voice growls behind the mask in front of me. The tossing waves throw _The Dorado_ into the side of the Arachnid vessel. As the deck tilts beneath my feet and I stumble into one of the box-shaped objects mounted on the deck, a metal pail rolls across the deck and taps my ankle. At that moment, Malatesta's voice echoes in my mind: _...the sea is a weapon..._

The Arachnid soldier recovers and leaps at me to throw an electric fist into my face. I drop down, evading her high-aimed punch, and sweep my leg at her feet. As the ship lurches again, the soldier is flung into the railing. I press the advantage, grabbing her by the ankle and shifting my weight to flip her into the water. I hear a muffled cheer that I recognize as Craig's voice.

The wind rising off the sea quickly disperses the smoke cloud, revealing a chaotic battlefield. Diego and Varyyn have made it across. Varyyn climbs towards the helm to engage Mike, and a flurry of expert blows and dodges fly between them.

"As the humans say," Varyyn snarls, "'Get wrecked'!"

"I've never been more proud," Diego calls up to him with an encouraging smile.

Towards the prow, Yvonne and Malatesta stand back to back, peppering the soldiers with pistol blasts. It seems they've brought at least half a dozen pistols each.

"When was the last time we did this, Yvie? The Santo Domingo rum heist?"

"Oui, that was a good night. And good rum!"

On the rear deck, Estela bends backwards to dodge a punch. Jake closes his hands around a fist and sends the soldier reeling. Raj hides behind them, clutching the weighted net. Then, there are two soldiers in front of me, cutting off my view of the rest of the ship. One has a beatstick and the other a sleek, modern pistol. The beatstick flies towards my head, and I barely manage to duck under it in time. I leap back to my feet, only to realize I've popped up too quickly when the blunt weapon swings back around and catches me hard on the shoulder. I yelp in pain, stumbling.

"Alodia!" I hear Jake's frantic voice answering my cry.

"Jake, flank 'em!" I scream.

"On it, Princess!" Jake rolls under a soldier, and Estela spears her down. Keeping low, he flings a dagger that catches the pistol-weilding Arachnid in the hand. The soldier cries out, dropping his weapon. I leap at the one with the beatstick, knocking the weapon from his hand. I throw my whole weight into slamming the hilt of my sword into his head and he slumps to the deck.

"Allie, look out!" Diego's voice makes me turn. Beaten back by Varyyn, Mike has leveled his gun at me. I prepare to dive, but Aleister shoves the gun from Mike's hand.

"Do _not_ kill her!" he shouts. I continue toward Sean and Craig, pulling a knife from my belt. I cut their gags off first. They both cough and stretch their jaws.

"Alodia!" Sean gasps. "You're here!"

"Yeah Alodia is!" Craig cries. "We owe you big time!"

I glance briefly back at Jake, Yvonne, Malatesta, and Varyyn, covering me while I free the two men. I cut through the ropes around their wrists as quickly as possible.

"Don't mention it." I cut Craig free and start on Sean. "You guys okay?"

Sean's bonds snap open and he pulls his hands free. In the same moment, his eyes widen. "Duck!" he yelps.

I drop into a crouch. Above me, Sean catches an Arachnid soldier by the baton and twists it from their hands, bringing it back to connect solidly with their head. The soldier hits the deck and doesn't move. Sean looks down at me, breathing hard.

"Alodia...I'll never let you down again."

I blink, startled enough that I almost forget where I am. "Sean-"

" _Shit!"_ Jake's frustrated cry distracts me. I leap back to my feet and immediately notice the second speedboat racing towards us, laden with more Arachnid troops. "Jesus, how many people did Lundgren recruit?! Being Arachnid used to mean something!"

"Take Aleister!" Estela shouts. "They won't harm us if we have him!"

Yvonne aims her pistol at Aleister and gestures with the barrel at _The Dorado._ "Cross over to our ship!" she barks.

Aleister looks helplessly at her. "I've already tried to tell you-"

"Va! Tout suite!"

Aleister sighs, but however reluctantly, he jumps the narrowing gap between the two vessels. With Yvonne covering us, we manage to escape back to _The Dorado._ By the time I reach the deck, Michelle is already tying Aleister up. He yelps in protest as she pulls the ropes tight.

"Th-that hurts!"

"Good!" she growls.

"Michelle!"

Michelle's eyes snap up at the sound of Sean's voice. Forgetting Aleister for a moment, she rushes over to throw her arms around his neck. He catches her up in a tight embrace.

"Sean! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay. Are you?"

"Guys, we gotta go!" Craig shouts. "The other ship is coming!"

"We're not goin' anywhere without Mike!" Jake's voice is a desperate snarl.

"Uh...Jake...?" Diego's voice trembles as he points to a figure hovering in the sky. "I think he feels the same way."

Mike's jetpack lowers him onto _The Dorado's_ deck. He scowls at us, his bionic eye flashing in the sunlight.

"Return Aleister to the Arachnid vessel."

"Or what?" Jake asks lowly, his hands balling into fists at his sides. Mike answers by engaging his jetpack to rush at him, but this time Jake is faster. He ducks and tackles Mike from the side, grappling him to the deck. They roll together, trading haphazard blows.

"Alodia!" Estela hisses. "Say something! Stop him! The longer this fight drags out..."

I don't need her to finish that sentence. I know I should tell Jake to let Mike go. Promise we'll get him back next time. But I can't. I of all people can't ask the man I love to leave his best friend.

"Jake! Make him remember!"

Jake rolls on top of Mike and pins his arms down. "Mike, listen to me! Remember that time in basic training when we filled the shower heads with sand and we had latrine duty for weeks? ...Or...how about that time we got our C.O.'s radio stuck on the kids' channel and had to listen to Dora the Explorer for two hours on loop...?" Mike doesn't seem to react. I feel my heart breaking as Jake continues, his voice getting tighter and more desperate. "...Or the crap Lundgren did? Or how he almost killed us for finding him out? Or _my! Fucking! Name?!"_

He pounds the floorboards beside Mike's head, howling in agony and frustration. Mike keeps still, not even flinching. Sobs bubble up in Jake's chest and make his shoulders heave. He looks just about ready to give up. He even rises to his feet and starts to turn away.

"...Grandpa..." Mike's voice is soft, but it gets Jake's attention. He inhales sharply, turning back.

"...Mike...? Mike, can you hear m-" With lightning speed, Mike pops upright and throws his fist squarely into Jake's chest with enough force to send him crashing at my feet.

"Jake!" His name comes out of me in a terrified shriek as I drop to my knees beside him. I feel my veins turn to ice as he curls toward me, coughing violently and spraying the deck with flecks of blood. Michelle rushes over to kneel at his other side.

"Mouse, stop!" Aleister cries. "That's enough!"

"Jake, can you roll onto your back?" Michelle murmurs. "Alodia, help him. And get his jacket off him."

"No more time," I hear Mike say flatly. Jake moans as I help him out of his jacket. "We must go."

The others cluster protectively around Jake as I cradle him on my lap, clutching his hand while Michelle lifts his shirt to examine his ribs. Taking advantage of our distraction, Mike moves to grab Aleister, cutting through the binding around his wrists with a small knife.

"Wait!" Sean cries. He steps forward, staring at Aleister.

"Sean, what are you doing?!" I yelp.

He doesn't answer me, looking into Aleister's eyes. "W-we never spoke much, but...I know what it's like to live in someone's shadow. You don't owe your father anything, Aleister. His praise isn't worth this." He holds out his hand. Aleister stares at it in disbelief.

"Wh-what...?"

"Come with us. Try to make up for your mistakes. Help us win this."

"Sean!" Michelle snaps. "Two seconds ago, he had you at gunpoint!"

"You sure picked... _kff..._ a great time to have Stockholm Syndrome, P-Pretty Boy," Jake gasps.

But I have images in my mind of a small idol forged from amber, shaped like a priest with the head of a cobra. And of a puddle of blood trickling off the edge of a small pedestal. Aleister's blood. The Endless had an idol for him, too. If he had died at MASADA, I never would have passed the test at the Threshold. Traitor or not, he is one of us.

"Sean's right," I say. "Aleister, come with us. I know you regret what you did, and it's not too late to set things right."

"...You...you would give me another chance? Just like that?" Wetness gleams at the corners of his eyes. Sean smiles gratefully at me.

"I knew you'd understand, Alodia."

"Are you kidding me?" Michelle yelps. Jake shakes his head hard.

"J-just because he didn't...sh-shoot us...doesn't mean he didn't... _ungh..._ load the gun! I ain't buyin'... _any_ of this!"

Mike grabs Aleister's arm. The other Arachnid boat is waiting in the choppy waters nearby.

"We must go _now_."

Aleister's shoulders slump. "...It's too late, anyway. The die is cast." But there's a change in his expression now. He meets my eyes, and I hold his gaze as he grasps the straps of Mike's suit. As the two of them hover toward the approaching speedboat, Aleister still doesn't look away. As he vanishes from sight, I am left with the impression of remorse. Jake slumps in my arms, coughing weakly.

"...Mike..." he moans. As Michelle presses on the angry bruise forming on his ribs, a cry of pain catches in his throat, turning into a spasm of coughing that brings up another glob of blood. His grip on my hand is hard enough to hurt.

"Jake, you may have a bruised lung," Michelle says grimly. "I need you to stay put for now."

"Just try to rest," I murmur, brushing sweat-damp strands of hair off his ashen forehead. He looks agonizingly up at me, a film of tears coating his eyes. "We'll find him, Jake. We'll find him and fix him. I promise."

"Alodia, help me prop up his left side. It might help him breathe easier." I do as Michelle tells me, piling discarded cloth under his left side, wincing at every pained noise he makes.

"...Will he be okay?"

"We'll keep him under close watch," she replies, which does not reassure me much. "Jake, I know it hurts, but I need you to keep coughing periodically, deep as you can. The last thing you need is pneumonia setting in."

Jake doesn't answer directly. He closes his eyes, and I feel his grip on my hand tighten subtly. "Hey, Maybelline...can you take a look at Princess's shoulder? She took a pretty nasty blow there."

"Which shoulder?"

"What? Oh...the right." Michelle comes over to examine it. "It's fine, though. I mean, it's not— _ungh!"_ I grunt a little, wincing as she presses on the spot. Jake releases my hand to let Michelle manipulate my shoulder. For a moment, the only sounds are the lapping of waves against the ship's hull, Jake's labored breathing, and my own suppressed gasps. Then Raj speaks up.

"Uh...did we just successfully rescue Sean and Craig?"

Craig laughs. "Buddy, I've never been happier to see you! Come here!" The two embrace wildly, slapping each other's backs.

Yvonne and Malatesta have already begun raiding the abandoned vessel still chained to _The Dorado._

"Yvie, ye better not cheat me! We loot together!"

"Mal, do you think I would steal from you? Because you're right."

"...You'll be all right, Alodia," Michelle murmurs. "It's just a bad bruise. It's not dislocated or broken or anything."

"Thanks..."

I turn my attention back to Jake, stroking his hair. He opens his eyes to meet my gaze, but he doesn't speak. Michelle stands and wanders over to the side of the ship where the others are gathering, and embraces Sean again. He hugs her back.

"Sean, I'm so glad you're safe."

"Same to you," he says. "We got a lot to catch up on. But...I'd like to check in with Alodia first..."

Hearing my name, I lift my head to meet Sean's eyes. Michelle smiles up at him.

"Go on. But we're catching up later. I'm holding you to that."

"I wouldn't expect any less." He gives her another squeeze before making his way over to me. I stand up, holding out my arms for a hug, but he takes me gently by the shoulders instead, studying my face as if he can't actually believe I'm standing in front of him. I shift a little awkwardly.

"...I'm not a ghost, Sean."

"You're really here. You really made it."

"Remarkably, yeah."

"...Last I saw of you, you were falling into the ocean."

"And you were on a crashing helicopter. ...And Quinn had just been blown up. ...Believe me, Sean, I'm just as shocked to see all five of you mostly unscathed."

Sean swallows hard, tears gathering in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Alodia..."

I blink. "...Uh...for what?"

"What do you mean, for what?! I wasn't there for you when you fell out of the chopper! I mean...I didn't have a plan. I couldn't protect everyone."

I take a deep breath, gathering my patience. I love Sean as much as the rest of the Catalysts, but I can't help but wonder when he's going to get it into his head that he doesn't have to be the hero all the time. That some things are outside his control, especially on this island...

"Sean, seriously. It's not your fault."

"Guys..." Craig pipes up, his expression of elation giving way to worry. "You haven't seen Zahra yet, have you?"

Everyone goes quiet for a moment, the momentary elation of our reunion dampened by the weight of the fact that we are still incomplete. We all shake our heads. I drift back to Jake's side to take his hand again. Craig's gaze falls to the deck. Michelle reaches out to rub his shoulder comfortingly.

"Zahra's the smartest of all of us, Craig. I'm sure she's out there."

"She better be. 'Cause if she's not, Rourke is gonna _pay_." His expression falters slightly as a wobble enters his voice. "I-I know she's tough, but after all these weeks, she might-"

"Hold up!" Michelle interrupts. "Weeks?! It's only been a few days for us!"

"It's been a month since I've seen all of you," Quinn says.

"Wait, we've all been experiencing different wavelengths of time _within_ the island?" I ask incredulously.

"Have we ruled out being in the Matrix?" Diego quips. "Or is that still a possibility?"

"Something's changed," Sean murmurs. "La Huerta wasn't like this before."

Yvonne, combing through her plunder nearby, catches my eye and gives me a meaningful look. I shrink a little from her gaze, feeling my stomach clench. I know what she's trying to communicate to me, and I know she's right. I just wish she weren't. I take a deep breath.

"Look...there's something I should probably tell you guys..." But I trail off when I notice Quinn slumped and gasping against the railing, her face twisted with pain.

"It's...happening again..." she groans through clenched teeth. Michelle and Estela hurry to brace her. Concerned, Jake lifts his head, and I help him sit up.

"Is Quinn okay?" Sean asks anxiously.

"Not exactly," Diego answers grimly. "It's actually why we were here. A piece of the Island's Heart is nearby. And when it calls to Quinn...it hurts her."

"It...it wants me to go... _there."_ Quinn aims a quivering finger at a large atoll along the coast.

Malatesta looks where she's pointing and shakes his head. "Reefs are too dangerous to ford with the ship. We'll have to send her in a rowboat."

Quinn looks at him sharply, eyes widening. "S-send me...alone?" she asks, her voice small.

"Nobody goes alone," Estela replies firmly. "I'll go with her."

"You're both basically sisters to me," Michelle declares, "and sisters don't split up."

"If you're all going, I wanna go, too," Raj chimes in. As Diego, Sean, and Craig echo everyone else's sentiments, Malatesta sighs in irritation.

"A tamed monkey could do this task alone! Why're all of you going?!"

"Well, you know _I'm_ going with everyone," I say, ignoring Malatesta.

"Good," Diego says, grinning at me.

"Are you having me on?!" Malatesta squawks. "What manner of lily-livered, hand-holdin'-"

"We all lost each other once already," Estela snaps. "We're not splitting up just after finding each other again."

We all turn to Estela with raised eyebrows. We were all thinking it, of course, we just didn't expect her to be the one to say it. She clears her throat, blushing deeply. Jake smirks.

"Guys, I think Katniss is finally opening up to us."

"Shut up, cabrón," she mutters, even as a smile plays around her mouth.

"Basically, what she's saying is that we're all in this together," Diego says. "Nobody gets left behind or forgotten."

"Two boats should fit all of us," Jake remarks. "I can swim down to ge-" He cuts himself off with a cough that turns into another, and then a third. The fourth one brings up another bloody glob, and he slumps a little in my arms, groaning. With the edge of my sleeve, I gently blot sweat off his forehead. Michelle shakes her head grimly.

"Jake, in your condition, the last place you should be right now is underwater."

Craig claps Sean on the shoulder. "Looks like you're up, brah!" But Sean's expression suddenly resembles a deer in headlights.

"I...I don't know if I'm at my best right now..."

"Then I'll go with you." I meet Sean's eyes. "You haven't let anyone down, Sean. But if you need some support right now, I'm offering. We can handle this together."

He looks at me for a long moment. His eyes shift over to Quinn, still supported between Michelle and Estela, then down towards Jake, breathing laboriously in my arms. He meets my eyes again and smiles a little.

"Spoken like a born leader."

"Takes one to know one," I counter.

"Let us depart, then!" Yvonne calls enthusiastically. "Prepare the rowboats!"

"Well you're not leaving me behind!" Malatesta snarls, his face the color of raw meat. "I was promised a crew, and I can't trust you not to galavant off on your own! And we better make it quick! While the sun's still high!" He marches over to yank a tarp off a pair of rowboats on the deck, muttering curses under his breath.

The sea under the boats is gentle as Malatesta and Yvonne row us into the atoll, following Quinn's directions. We can't help but take a moment to marvel at the kaleidoscope of colorful fish, coral, and plant life shimmering underneath the water's surface.

"Welcome to Neptune Cove," Malatesta announces. "A great place to show a wench a good time."

"Poor wench," Yvonne teases.

I frown. . _..Neptune Cove..._ Something about that name tugs at my memory. I feel certain I've heard it before, but at the moment, I can't place it.

"Broskies, are you seeing these colors?" Craig breathes.

"I've heard some fish have psychadelic effects when you eat 'em!" Raj remarks, grinning.

Diego laughs. "Guys, look! I found Nemo!"

"Is that your people's name for that fish?" Varyyn asks. "How fascinating."

"I wonder if I could use some fresh-cut seaweed in a facial," Michelle muses. Sean cranes his neck over the edge and whistles lowly.

"How far down does it go? I can't even see the bottom."

"You'll see soon enough, Michael Phelps," Jake quips. As jagged coral formations start to catch along the undersides of the rowboats, Yvonne and Malatesta draw the oars inside.

"This appears to be the furthest we can take you," Yvonne remarks. Quinn, huddled up in Michelle's arms, looks up at the rest of us. Her face is pale and tight with pain.

"It's definitely close by," she confirms, her voice weak. "Feels like it wants to rip me through the boat."

"That's a deep reef," Jake remarks. "You got anything to help you breathe underwater?" I can't tell if he's talking to me or Quinn, but I give him a quick kiss.

"You just worry about breathing up here, Top Gun."

As Sean strips off his shirt, I pull off my boots and bodice. After a moment, I cast aside the shirt and breeches, too. I don't want to sit in wet clothes all day.

"Ready, Alodia?"

I nod. "Ready when you are."

Balancing on the edge of the rowboat, I arch my arms over my head and dive into the reef. The water is pleasantly warm. A few seconds later, tepid pulses hit me as Sean dives in beside me. I open my eyes to let them adjust to the saltwater, and I can't help but take a moment to appreciate the beauty of my surroundings. There's a perfect circle of sea anemones, fronds of jagged coral, filled with deep crevices, and a peculiar sand dune. I surface for a moment to meet eyes with Sean.

"Should we just go for it?" he asks uncertainly.

"Nothing else we can do, I think."

I take a deep breath and dive again, going for the sand dune. Sean follows me, taking my hand to help pull me down faster. I stretch out a hand and plunge my fingers into the sand. A golden cloud of sand billows up, obscuring my vision, and I grope blindly. My fingers brush something solid, and I grasp it, just as my lungs are starting to burn. I push off the sea floor and hurtle back towards the surface, breaching with a deep breath. Sean surfaces beside me, disappointment plain on his face.

"...We didn't find it, did we?"

I look at the object in my hand. It's not the Island's Heart, to be sure. It appears to be a brass padlock, aged and corroded by saltwater. I turn it over, and find some words etched into the back, just barely readable: _No land, no sea, no one will keep us apart. Flora & Eugene, 1920. _

"Huh. It's unlocked."

"...It's not the Heart..." Sean punches the water in frustration, sending up a splash.

"Easy, Sean. It's nearby here. We can try again."

"I can't!"

I sigh. "Hey, Sean-"

"I said I can't, okay?! I can't do it! I can't do anything without screwing up and someone getting hurt! The whole time, I've tried to be the Q.B. Call the shots. Do everything right! And where are we now?! At the end of the world, some of us missing, some of us hurt..."

"Sean, this isn't your fault. I don't care how strong or how tough you think you are. You can't shoulder the blame for things that were out of your control."

"...I..."

"You didn't know we were going to be stuck on this island, or about Rourke, or any of this."

"...I could have done more. Made better split decisions."

"Oh my god, will you cut yourself a break?!" My voice rises to a shout. Partly because I am losing patience with him, but also because he has responded to tough love in the past. "We're _all_ out of our depths here! Even Jake and Estela—an elite military pilot and an honest-to-god revolutionary—have been groping in the dark most of the time we've been here! Every day, we're doing all we can just to survive. And somehow, we're doing it. So stop blaming yourself for everything and come help me find a magical rock with space-time powers, please?"

Sean looks away. His cheeks are wet, but I can't tell if it's seawater or tears. He is quiet for a very long time. Long enough for me to figure out that tough love wasn't going to cut it this time.

"...You don't understand, Alodia. Ever since I kicked my dad's abusive, alcoholic ass out of the house, I've done everything to carry the load. I didn't want to be a burden on anyone. Not like he was. But now, after all that's happened...you saving my ass, keeping us going...I just don't know how to keep pretending like I'm good at this."

I stare at him for a long moment, entirely lost for words. In all this time, I have tried again and again to make him understand. I have scolded. I have soothed. But somehow, I cannot reach the heart of him. I cannot reach the depths of his fears. Just as I feel frustration and despair creeping into my heart, the water around us begins to shimmer. I inhale sharply.

"Sean, do you see that?"

Beside us, a ghostly, featureless head breaches the surface of the water.

"Alodia, get behind me!" Sean pushes himself between me and the ghost. Unfazed, the figure withdraws something small and shiny and holds it out to Sean. It's a gold-plated watch.

"That's...not possible! It doesn't exist anymore..." The figure imploringly pushes the watch at Sean.

"What is that, Sean?"

"It's...my father's watch..." He looks helplessly at me. "Alodia, what do I do here? Do I...take it?"

"Take it. I think it will help." When he still hesitates, I take it myself and hold it out to him. A part of me thinks it may only work with both of us touching it, anyway. Sure enough, as soon as he touches it, the world flashes white.

 _We are in a training room somewhere, with rubber floors, floruescent lights, an array of fitness equipment, and the faint odor of sweat that will probably never fade. Sean, dressed in a purple and black Condors uniform, sits crosslegged on the floor, pouring over the playbooks strewn in front of him._

 _"If the Seagulls' safety tries what he did last game-" His musing is interrupted by a crisp knock. A short woman wearing a Condors jersey rounds the corner. Sean looks up and smiles._

 _"Momma!"_

 _The woman's name is Tricia Gayle. I don't question how I know this. She smiles at her son._

 _"There's my starting quarterback!" Sean stands to pull his mother into an embrace. She laughs. "Hold on, hold on! Lemme get a good look at you."_

 _She pulls out of his arms and cranes her neck to look up at Sean's face. He grins._

 _"Look all right?"_

 _"Oh, those cameras won't know what to do with you!" she gushes._

 _"Well, hopefully they only catch me when I make the good plays." Tricia steps back, launching into a cheer routine with invisible pompoms._

 _"Get 'em with a forward drive! Keep that winning streak alive! Get 'em Gayle, give 'em hayle! Goooo, Gayle!"_

 _Sean looks like he's biting his cheek to keep from laughing. "Wow, okay. Did you just mispronounce 'hell' to rhyme with our name?"_

 _"Chant's gotta rhyme somehow," she replies with a shrug. Sean can't keep the laughter in anymore. Tricia joins him, and the two sink breathlessly down onto a bench. As their laughter dies down, the silence that follows is suddenly heavy. There is worry in Sean's eyes. Tricia puts a hand on his shoulder._

 _"Coach said you were working too hard. What's wrong, baby?"_

 _Sean sighs. "...I've already had reporters ask me if Dad'll be here. They keep asking about what he's telling me. ...I'm glad we've kept everything under wraps, it's just...I'm trying to be a better man than he was. But it's like I can't stop feeling him over my shoulder."_

 _"Oh, Sean..." Tricia reaches up to cup his cheek and turn his face towards her. He smiles weakly._

 _"I know, I know. I'm not Dad. I'm a different person. I get it."_

 _"But he's a part of you, Sean. Just as I am. You can't just ignore someone that shaped so much of your life. I know you still have his watch in your desk drawer. You deserved so much more from him."_

 _"Yeah, well, we don't always get what we deserve. But even thinking of letting someone down a fraction of the way he did us..."_

 _She takes his hand and gives it a squeeze. "You have his strengths, too. He did actually have a few. Do you remember Thanksgiving the first year your dad was gone? How I wouldn't let anyone help me in the kitchen?"_

 _"Oh, do I ever. Especially the trip to the E.R after you dropped the turkey pan on your foot."_

 _"I wanted to prove to everyone that I was fine without him. That I could do everything for everyone else, and take care of myself. 'What doesn't kill us makes us stronger,' I thought. The truth is, baby, no one is indestructible." She chuckles ruefully. "My bones sure wished I sucked it up and asked you for help that day."_

 _He snorts. "I bet."_

 _"Reporters will say what they want about you. You can't control them. But don't let worrying about your father's mistakes push you into making your own."_

 _Sean exhales slowly. "Thanks, Momma. I...really needed to hear that."_

 _"That's why I said it. Just try to relax. Remember this is the beginning. You were the number one draft pick, and you're already defining your own legacy. Most important, remember that you don't have to carry the world on your shoulders. You got plenty of good folks to share the load with."_

 _Sean pulls her into a tender embrace. "...Thanks, Momma. I love you."_

 _"I love you too, baby. Now relax, take a breath, and go win your first game."_

When I find myself back in the ocean again, the sun is sinking low on the horizon. Sean stares at me, dumbfounded.

"...You okay?"

"Alodia, that was..." he swallows hard. "...That was just what I needed."

He looks down at the watch. For the first time, I notice the inscription on the back: _Marcus Gayle_. The watch doesn't look like it's going to be able to tell time anymore, but as he clutches it to his chest, Sean smiles at me. I smile back.

"So, you're feeling better?"

"Lots."

I look over at the ghostly figure, which has started to become hazy. Before it can fade completely, it beckons us down into the shining reef.

"...I think it wants us to follow it. ...I'm gonna do it."

"Okay," Sean agrees. "I'm coming too."

He takes my hand to pull me down again. There is intense light coming from somewhere amid the coral formations. We swim fiercely after the rapidly descending spirit. When I reach the bottom and dare to glance at the source of the light, I catch sight of the shimmering edge of a broken sphere. I grab hold of it and let myself float to the surface.

By then, the sun has set. Stars are starting to appear in the dusky sky. I hold aloft the second half of the Island's Heart triumphantly. Sean stares at it, smiling faintly.

"You found it..."

I grin. " _We_ found it. Give yourself some credit sometimes, huh?"

We dogpaddle back to the rowboats. As we approach, I hold up the Heart again, grinning.

"You did it!" Quinn exclaims.

"We had a little help," I quip.

"What happened?" Diego asks, helping me into the boat. "From here, it looked like an Electric Light Parade."

"Hey, if that glorified disco ball wants to show you houw to get to it, I'm not complaining," Jake drawls.

Malatesta eyes the Heart. "...Mighty fine gem ye've got there."

"Yes," Michelle agrees, glaring at him. "And it's not yours." She holds out her hand for the Heart. I pass it over and let her place it in her backpack. She keeps her eyes locked on Malatesta as she zips it up.

"We should get back to the ship before Rourke's men come searching for it," Estela declares. Yvonne and Malatesta need no more encouragement. They take up the oars and begin rowing us back to _The Dorado._ I pull my clothes back on.

"Uh...Doodlejumps?" Raj suddenly speaks up, his voice quivering. "...Friends?" I look over at him. He aims a shaking finger at the water. I look. My blood runs cold. An enormous form is darkening the water underneath us. Through peaks of waves, I can make out dark fins writhing in the deep.

"Oh, no..." I whisper. "No, no, no, please...not now..."

A massive wave pummels the rowboats as a gaping maw rises in front of me, large enough to swallow both boats in a single gulp. Rows upon rows of sword-like teeth crackle with electricity that makes my hair stand on end. The massive serpentine beast is too close for me to make out his shimmering blue face, or his eyeless gaze, but I don't need to. I feel my heart sinking into my belly.

 _You are Andromeda,_ a voice in my head taunts. _Did you really think you could escape Cetus?_


	4. The Temple of the Ghost

Malatesta swears fluently under his breath. Jake edges closer to me.

"Ol' Nessie is harder to shake than mono!" he mutters ruefully. Helpless frustration bubbles up in my gut.

"Damn you, Cetus!" I scream. "Why can't you just leave us alone?!"

Dark clouds rush in overhead, following the ocean Guardian. A peal of thunder crackles through the air, and Cetus lets out an ear-splitting roar. As if answering him, the storm erupts in earnest, bright lines of lightning arcing across the angry sky as rain batters us below.

"I don't think he came to mess around this time, yo..." Craig says nervously.

"Back to the reef!" Sean shouts over the rising storm. "He can't get to us in the shallows!"

Yvonne and Malatesta struggle to turn the boats in the choppy water, but a dark shape rises to block our path back to the atoll.

"Oh, god," Diego whispers. "That's his tail!"

"The grinning devil has us trapped!" Yvonne growls.

"Cetus!" Varyyn roars furiously. "I swear on my mother's grave, I will cut off your head and mount your skull over my throne!"

A wave swells beneath us, sending us scrambling to keep our balance. Michelle's backpack slides across the boat, wedging beneath an oar handle. The light of the Island's Heart streams through the half-zipped flap. Cetus' terrible visage turns, drawn by the brilliant light. For a moment, there is relative calm. Quinn stands on the prow of our boat, facing Cetus boldly.

"Guardian!" she shouts. "I command you to leave this place!"

Cetus turns his attention on her, but only seems to be angered by her words. He howls furiously. Sean and Michelle rush forward to protect her.

"Stop him!" Varyyn suddenly cries. "He has the Heart!"

"What?!" I whip around to see Malatesta raising the shining half-sphere toward Cetus.

"Ye want this, do ye, monster?!" he roars. "Then take it!" Before anyone can react, he lobs the Heart at Cetus. Horror floods through me as I watch it arc through the air and disappear into the serpent's cavernous maw. Cetus closes his jaws. Then, as soon as he appeared, he is gone again, disappeared beneath the raging waves.

"Did he just... _eat_ the Heart?" Diego asks incredulously.

"Yup," Jake confirms numbly. "That just happened."

"Malatesta, you bastard!" I hear myself screaming as I come out of my stupor. "Do you have any idea what you just did, you selfish, double-crossing..."

"Plague-eating gut worm!" Yvonne finishes for me from the other rowboat.

"I did what none of you wallflowers were willing to do to keep us alive!" he snarls. Deafening thunderclaps explode overhead. Forked tongues of lightning strike the waves with ear-splitting pops, and a piteous cry rises from somewhere below.

"He's leaving!" Estela shouts. "But the storm's only getting worse!"

She's right. The waves are getting higher and stronger, and our rowboats are bucking and rearing, rising and falling like roller coaster cars.

"Hang on! Everyone just hang on!" I grab the oars, trying to control the boat. I row furiously against the tide, and the boat steadies slightly as we climb and descend the waves.

"Yeah! What a ride!" Craig crows. I turn frantically to look at the other rowboat, and a flash briefly illuminates a cluster of rocks directly ahead of Yvonne's boat.

"Yvonne, left! Break left!"

Yvonne pitches her weight left, turning the boat. They narrowly miss the rocks. I turn help them, but my eye catches the sight of the sea turning and falling away.

"Guys!" Craig cries. "It's a tidal wave!"

Caught in the current, the boat is drawn higher and higher by a towering wall of water. The dark sea churns beneath us, looking at least a mile off. As the wave crests, I find myself airborne, and hear screaming all around me. Some of it is probably my own. Then the dark water breaks painfully underneath me, rushing in to close over my head. Sinking figures surround me as darkness fills my vision, and even the rush of water singing against my ears starts to fade into silence...

… Light suddenly stings my eyes. My chest feels tight. There is a salty-tasting mouth pressed against mine, surrounded by scratchy stubble. Air rushes into my chest.

"Come on, Princess," Jake pleads desperately. "Come back to me." His mouth presses to mine again, and another rush of air sends a wave of seawater crashing up my throat. I feel my whole body seizing violently as the water in my lungs explodes out of me in a fit of coughing.

"Oh, thank goodness!" I hear Quinn breathe. I try to focus my vision. Jake is beside me, Quinn and Diego are kneeling at my other shoulder. Jake helps me sit up. He pulls me into his arms, trembling and kissing my hair.

"You're okay...you're okay, Princess..."

"I'm fine..." After taking a moment to catch my breath, I pull back to look at his face and gingerly lay a hand on his injured ribs. "Are you okay?"

He flinches at my touch, gasping sharply, but he forces a smile. "No worse off than before, I think."

Diego smiles weakly at me. "How many near-drownings is this now, Allie?"

"Too many," I admit. "Honestly, it's getting embarrassing."

I glance around me. Besides Quinn and Diego, I see Sean, Michelle, Raj, Craig, Estela, and Varyyn are all gathered nearby, all soaking wet, but apparently unharmed. Jake kisses my forehead.

"There's no sign of the pirate duo," he murmurs. "Maybe they washed up somewhere else."

Abruptly, Quinn frowns, tipping her head to the side. "Hey...does anyone else hear that?" We all go quiet, listening. A faint melody is drifting through the trees, strains of an acoustic guitar.

"What the hell?" I murmur.

"Sounds like we ain't alone," Jake remarks with a frown. He helps me to my feet. We all make our way into the rainforest, following the dulcet tones until we reach a ruined stone structure almost completely overgrown with clinging vines. At the center of what must have once been an impressive courtyard, an amphitheater descends toward a small stage.

"I think these are Mayan ruins," Diego says. "I learned about them in Pre-Colonial Art History."

"Yeah," I murmur. I can't help pausing for a moment to admire them, to imagine them whole and filled with people living their daily lives. How many generations have walked this ground before me, unaware of what will come in the future, unconcerned about what came before them? Consumed with their own lives, their own problems, each making a thousand tiny decisions that shape the world into what it is now...

The mysterious guitar strains break into my thoughts again. I look toward the source of the music, which turns out to be a handsome young man sitting against a wall at one side of the stage. He's ruddy-skinned, with dark hair that brushes his shoulders, wearing a brown military-looking uniform and dogtags, like the kind Jake wears. Sensing our presence, he pauses.

"Hello? Someone else here?" We're still mostly concealed by the trees and the decaying building, but after scanning his surroundings, he seems to notice us. He starts to put his guitar away.

"...He's kinda cute," Diego murmurs, with an unmistakeable grin curving his lips. "Don't you think so, Allie?"

"Down, boy!" I quip.

"He's more than cute," Michelle replies. "He's downright dreamy."

"No argument here," Quinn agrees.

Jake raises an eyebrow. "You kiddin' me? That's a paratrooper kit he's wearing."

"He's probably got some firearms on him," Estela says flatly. "We'd better watch ourselves."

"Definitely," Sean agrees, he glares at Michelle and the others.

The man in the paratrooper kit walks over to a small pot perched atop a campfire and stirs its contents.

"Plenty of room here if you'd like to share my camp," he calls.

"...Should we?" I ask uncertainly. "Call me paranoid, but I'm inclined to be suspicious of humans here who aren't...you know, us."

"I'm with Alodia," Craig agrees. "This guy is waaaaaaay suspicious."

"Yeah. But we should find out what he's up to," Sean murmurs.

Quinn rolls her eyes. "Oh, come on! Did you guys even hear that music?"

"Yes," Varyyn says mildly. "It was very beautiful." I can't tell if he's agreeing with Quinn or with us.

Sean shakes his head and steps warily toward the young man. The rest of us follow.

"Hey!" Sean calls.

The young man smiles warmly. "Hey, Mac. Pleased to meet you. I'm Kele."

"You with Arachnid?" Sean demands.

"Arach-what?"

"Don't try to play dumb, bro!" Craig growls. "Lundgren give you all this gear?"

"Hey, look, don't snap your cap, pal. I don't know anything about any Arachnid or Lundgren. I'm on my own out here. Have been since the Shenandoah got brought down by U-boats."

"You sayin' submarine torpedoes sunk your ship?" Jake asks, frowning.

"Germans really know what they're doing with those things," Kele says ruefully. "We got hit in the zero dark hundred and we were taken totally unaware."

"We're stranded on La Huerta, too," Quinn admits.

"Now that's a sure shame." Kele smiles disarmingly at her. "Pretty girl like you must have a lot of friends back home."

Quinn blushes. "Oh, well, heh...Actually, all of my friends are here..."

Jake leans over to murmur in my ear, "Princess, his uniform is downright antique!"

"Kele," I say, "don't take this the wrong way, but what year do you think it is?"

He shrugs. "Last I saw a calendar, 1941. But there's not much use in keeping track of time here."

"So you are a World War II soldier!" Diego exclaims. "You were fighting Nazis before it was even cool!"

"Yeah, something like that."

I feel Jake relax beside me. "Well, you got my respect." He steps up to Kele and holds out a hand. "Jake McKenzie, former Navy pilot."

Kele shakes the offered hand. "Oh, a flyboy. Pleasure." He returns to the pot and starts stirring.

"How long have you been here?" Estela asks.

"Long enough to stop worrying about it," he replies. "Can I interest you all in some chili or do you wanna keep beating your gums all day?"

Raj chuckles. "Dude's unflappable. I like him."

"I saw him first," Michelle retorts.

"No fair!" Quinn laughs.

"I guess he's all right," Sean finally relents. "So, you really don't know anything about the Arachnid paramilitary outfit? Or Rourke?"

"Oh, you mean the machine men? Yeah, they've been around. I saw a bunch of them come out of the ruins. Looked like they were searching for somebody." He frowns, looking up at us. "...Is it you they're trying to find?"

We all exchange glances. Finally, I take a deep breath. "Well, the short answer is...yes."

"Huh." He shrugs. "Well, you can hide here for as long as you like. There's a vista over a waterfall a few minutes away that's good for scouting."

"Probably a good idea to send a couple people up there to keep lookout," Jake remarks.

"Not you," I say firmly, before he can volunteer himself. "You're still injured."

"Alodia's right," Michelle agrees. "We won't even know the real extent of the damage for a day or two. You need to rest as much as possible."

"I'll go," Sean volunteers.

"Not alone you're not," I say. "I'll go with you."

Kele arches an eyebrow at me. "Think I've figured out who your CO is."

Jake chuckles. "That's Alodia. She may be tiny, but don't tangle with her. She's a firecracker."

"Duly noted. I'll show you how to get there." Kele puts down the ladle and wipes his hands.

"Need any help in the kitchen in the meantime?" Raj asks.

"Sure. More cooks means more food. There are some mangoes you could slice up in that rucksack."

"Comin' right up!"

Kele directs me and Sean on the proper route up to the vista. We take the hill in silence for a few minutes, concentrating on keeping our footing on the steep, uneven terrain.

"It was good of you to volunteer," I remark after a time. "I know you really haven't had much time to unwind since we found you. But if you hadn't, I know Jake would have, and in his current condition..."

"It's fine. Honestly, I kinda think I needed this."

"Yeah?"

He sighs, flexing his fingers anxiously. "I dunno. So much has happened in the last few weeks, but there's so little that I was able to do about it. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to get a break, but...I just need to feel useful right now."

"I feel like I ought to be telling you to chill out," I reply ruefully. "But the truth is, I totally get it. It's just generally tough to enjoy yourself when you feel like you're not doing enough for those around you. And in a situation like ours...honestly, I feel like I'm forgetting _how_ to relax."

"I think it's like using any muscle. If you don't practice with it, it gets weak."

"Well, for my money, staring at a waterfall together has to be a pretty good place to start."

"Only one way to find out."

I can hear the water rushing before it comes into view. When it does, my breath catches in my throat. I have found myself on the edge of the placid pond that spreads from the bottom of the waterfall. The water that flows over the cliffs above me is clear, crystal blue, and the whole scene is framed with mottled green and brown foliage. Beside me, I look out to see verdant greenery rolling below us.

"...There's worse places to be lookouts, that's for sure," I murmur. I take a seat on a large boulder beside the waterfall and pat the spot next to me. "Sit down. Take a load off."

Sean comes to sit beside me, casting his gaze over the valley. The gentle smile on his face starts to fall. He points somewhere in the distance.

"That's where Craig and I were held," he says softly. "When we were captured."

"So close?" I taste alarm at the back of my throat, but Sean quickly shakes his head.

"They moved camp awhile ago, so we're fine. ...It's just weird to see it again."

It takes a moment for my heartbeat to return to normal, for my breath to descend from my chest into my abdomen. "...That must have been really hard..."

"It was," he agrees. He is quiet for a long time, searching for the words. Finally, he shakes his head again. "It's hard to explain."

"...What were they going to do with you?"

"I'm not sure. They clearly weren't there for us to begin with, which explains why we stayed in one place for so long. They would ask us questions sometimes. If we knew where the Heart was. Or what the Vaanti were planning. ...About halfway through, we overheard Aleister talking to someone about how we were the only survivors."

I swallow hard. "...Shit...God, Sean..."

"...That was really hard, hearing that. After all that time, it seemed likely. And then after awhile, they wouldn't let me or Craig speak unless spoken to..."

"...Did they hurt you?"

"Some of them got a little rough, but nothing too bad. ...Aleister made sure they didn't treat us like garbage, so that was something." He sighs. "I bet everyone thinks I was insane to ask him to come with us."

"It's not insane, Sean. You saw something in him worth saving." It's my turn to sigh. "The others...just aren't in a place to even ask that right now. They're still too raw."

"That's fair," he admits. "Regardless, I'm glad you had my back on the ship. It felt good to not be alone on this. ...It just hurts, Alodia. To see what he was doing. How he was doing it. I mean, I won't say Aleister was my favorite person to begin with..."

"You're not the first to feel that way," I admit wryly.

"But while we were captured, I realized how similar our lives were. We both had to pretend to adore our fathers when they were horrible behind closed doors. We both felt this pressure to carry on a legacy, terrified of failure. Sometimes I would see him at the campsite, and all I could see was myself. Maybe I'm just scared that if I give up on Aleister..."

"...That you're giving up on yourself?" I finish for him. He nods, leaning a little closer to me, perhaps unconsciously. "...It's taken a lot of courage and strength for you to get where you are. But in the end, this is Aleister's journey to figure out. It won't matter how strong you are if he just won't move."

"You're right. I know you're right. It just...sucks, you know? Seeing someone make the same mistakes you did?"

"I know. But you gave him more chances to do the right thing than anyone. It's not your fault he didn't take any of them."

He regards me thoughtfully, a smile lifting one corner of his mouth. "What's it like, always knowing the right thing to say? It seems pretty great from here."

I chuckle. "Oh, you know. I try not to let it go to my head."

A sudden sharp breeze whips over the waterfall, sending a tepid spray over us. Sean puts himself between me and the waterfall, shielding me from the soaking blast. As the spray dies down, he smiles at me.

"Hi there."

I grin back up at him. "Heh. Thanks." Impulsively, I give him a light shove, enough to throw him off balance, and he topples over into the shallow pool. He lands with a splash, sputtering. Soaking wet, he emerges in the knee deep shallows.

"Oh, now you've done it." With a wicked grin, he lunges at me, grabbing me just under my hips and throwing me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I yelp as I find myself upside down, staring at his backside.

"Sean? Sean, w-what are you doing?!"

"If I'm getting a bath, so are you!" I shriek indignantly as he turns and marches straight for the waterfall, pounding at his back with my fists.

"You put me down, Sean Gayle! Put me down this instant!"

"No way!" Taking in a deep breath, he rushes in to stand directly under the frothy falls. "It's shower time!"

I yelp with helpless laughter as the lukewarm water crashes over me. "You are a dead man! The moment you put me down, you are so dead!"

"Well, then I guess I can't ever put you down, can I? I guess you live on my shoulders now." With a few shifts of his weight, he shifts me from sack-of-potatoes position to drape me over both shoulders like a baby lamb. "God, you're tiny, aren't you?"

"I'm not tiny, you're just a big ol' hulk!" Still under the waterfall, he starts to spin in place, making me shriek again. And then I hear another shriek answering mine from somewhere in the hills, a shrill, inhuman cry fused with a cackle. The sound sends ice trickling down my spine. Sean stops cold, quickly setting me back on my feet.

"...What was that?"

"Nothing good," I answer grimly.

"Hey, you two!" Quinn's voice drifts up the cliffside. "Food's ready! Come and get it!"

Sean looks down at me. "...It...might have just been the wind. We can't let this place make us jump at shadows, right?"

I smile in spite of myself. "Heh. Look at you relaxing."

"What can I say. You're a great teacher."

We head back down the trail toward the ruins, where everyone is gathered around a roaring campfire. Craig is clumsily picking at Kele's guitar. Michelle sighs wearily.

"Okay, Craig, whatever you're trying to play, just stop."

"Isn't it obvious? It's that song about going over rainbows."

"It's not obvious," Estela deadpans. "Not at all."

"At least you're better than Jake," Diego says with a grin.

"Hey, my rendition of Wonderwall was beautiful!" Jake snaps back.

"I'm sorry to have missed that," I quip, coming to sit beside him. He regards my freshly soaked clothes with a smirk.

"What happened to you, Princess? You fall in?"

"Something like that. I had help." I shoot a mock-glare at Sean.

"Hey, she started it," he retorts. Jake chuckles.

"Somehow, that does not surprise me," he drawls, softening his words with a kiss on my cheek. I still stick out my tongue at him.

Kele and Raj are leaning over a bubbling pot on the fire, grinning from ear to ear.

"Smells like you've been busy," Kele remarks.

"I'd love your feedback, dude." Kele ladles out a bit, blows on it, and takes a sip. His eyes go wide.

"This is...amazing! How did you get so much flavor in there?"

"Coconut milk! And love. Always cook with love."

Kele gets out a few shelled-out coconut halves from his rucksack. Sean takes the ladle and starts to fill the makeshift bowls, passing them out.

"Sit down, Raj," he says. "You've earned it."

When we've all been served, we raise our spoons in a toast and dig in. I sigh rapturously as the flavor collapses across my tongue, savory and hearty with just the right amount of spice.

"Oh my god," Jake mumbles appreciatively around a mouthful.

"Best chili I have ever tasted," Estela agrees. Craig has already wolfed down his bowl and gone back for seconds. I am not far behind him.

"Buddy's still got his skills!" Craig declares enthusiastically.

"Thanks to Grandma," Raj says with a smile. He passes a grateful look to me as I ladle out another helping. "...and Alodia."

Any reply I might have made is cut off when a sound floats up from out of another part of the ruins, something between rustling, chattering, and shrieking that makes every hair on my body stand to attention. Ice trickles down my spine.

"...Please tell me I'm not the only one who heard that..."

"I heard it," Sean confirms lowly. "What was that?"

"Oh, that?" Kele shrugs nonchalantly. "That's just the ghost."

The collective look we give him suggests he has just removed his own head and set it beside him to spoon-feed.

" _Just_ a ghost?" Michelle repeats.

"How auspicious!" Varyyn says brightly. "Has it been here long?"

"Not sure. I've not tended to stay in one place."

"So, is this a Casper the Friendly Ghost Situation or-" Diego is cut off as the noise surges in strength. We all drop our bowls, clapping our hands over our ears until it dies down a little. "Nope. That's definitely a Dementor."

A loud crash comes from the trees on the other side of the clearing. My heart wedges in my throat.

"Everyone hide!" I hiss. We all scramble ot flatten ourselves to the ground and huddle against a ruined wall. I dare to peek my head out, and spot a flash of Arachnid armor. Jake grabs my hand, his breath catching, but the soldiers are too busy retreating to even notice the campsite.

"Squad Beta Commander to Control," one of them calls frantically into his comm unit, "we need backup here! Repeat, requesting backup!"

"Wait!" the other soldier cries. "Don't leave me behind here!"

They vanish into the trees again. As their voices fade, we cautiously emerge from our hiding spots.

"That is _not_ a friendly ghost," Raj declares.

"Actually," Estela murmurs, "I...think it might be..."

"Katniss, you did see the soldiers running like babies, right?" Estela pulls the photo of her family out of her pocket.

"Remember the thing that approached me on the beach? What if that spirit is _this_ spirit?"

"I hear you," Raj agrees. "That ghost thing pulled me out of a real tight spot."

Sean rubs his father's watch on his wrist. "Helped me, too. Whatever this spirit is, it's definitely a friend."

"Friend or not, if the soldiers are here, it probably means Rourke's interested in it," Quinn points out.

"You think it has to do with the Heart?" Sean wonders.

"If Rourke wants it, it's likely," I agree.

Diego groans a little. "Guys, this isn't fair. I left my proton pack at home."

"How do we keep a friggin' ghost out of Rourke's hands?" Jake asks.

"Forget that, how do we get it to talk to us?"

"Maybe we should offer it tribute?" I suggest.

"We could light candles and make sugar skulls," Diego says. "Like my abuelita on Dia de los Muertos."

"And where would we get either candles or sugar?" Michelle asks irritably.

"We could kill a small animal," Raj offers. Sean makes a face.

"As delightful as that sounds, Arachnid could be back any moment. We don't have time for that."

"Why not just walk in and see what we can find?" Kele suggests with a sigh.

"Stay out of this, Jason Mraz," Jake snaps. "We don't need your help."

"Jake, be reasonable!" Quinn chides.

"Walking in does seem like less work than killing a squirrel," Raj concedes.

"How do we know this won't end like a horror movie?" Diego asks nervously.

"I think there's only one way to find out," I answer grimly.

"I'm coming," Michelle declares. "But only so I can say 'I told you so' when we get murdered."

We all turn toward the dark doorway at the end of the courtyard. As we approach, the noise fills our ears again. I grit my teeth, trying to block it out.

"It's not too late to turn around yet, is it?" Diego mutters.

"Come on, bro," Craig says. "We don't have time to chicken out. Let's just do this before it gets dark."

"You mean like you did at the haunted house sophomore year?" Michelle drawls.

"I got no idea what you're talking about," Craig replies haughtily. "The zombies led me out the emergency exit so I could see the real hardcore part of the house."

I sigh and gather my courage, gently shouldering by Craig to start walking up the steps. I fold my arms tightly over my chest, trying to disguise the fact that I'm shaking.

"See?" I hear Michelle say. "Alodia's going! You can't not go now!"

Craig grumbles under his breath, but he follows after me. As we all walk through the shadowy doorway, the rustling noises seem to close in around us. I shiver, feeling as if I've just stuck my finger in an electric socket.

"Is it just me, or is it _really_ cold in here?"

"Hey, Spirit Dude," Raj calls softly. "Buddy, ol' pal, ol' friend. We're not here to hurt you. Be nice. Pleeeeeeeease..."

"It's a ghost, Raj, not a puppy!"

I make my way down a rough, uneven staircase, stumbling slightly on one loose step. I put my hand on the wall to steady myself.

"You okay there?" Quinn asks.

"Yeah, fine. I just..." I trail off as I happen to look at my hand. It's smeared with blood. I look up at the wall and find words written in thick swaths of blood: _**STAY AWAY**_

"This is friendly-ghost-speak for 'Hi, be my friend', right?" Diego deadpans.

"There's more!" Kele remarks. "Cast an eyeball at this!"

I look where he's indicating, and see more bloody messages: _**YOU DON'T BELONG HERE**_ and _**I CAN TASTE YOUR FEAR**_

 __"What emo punk band is this ghost listening to?" Jake mutters.

"Hopefully one that's pacifist," Raj says.

"All right, gang, we don't know when Arachnid is coming back," Sean points out. "Let's look around and be quick about it."

We all fan out to poke around the ruins. Sean immediately pulls himself into the branches of an overgrown tree entwined with one ruined wall.

"Think the ghost is hiding up there?" I call up with a smirk.

"No stone unturned, right?" he calls back.

"Well, if by stone you mean branch, I guess that works."

Quinn wanders over to a crumbling stone fountain. Picking up a stick, she gingerly stirrs the algae-thick water. She recoils slightly, putting a hand over her mouth and nose.

"This is like stirring soup," she mutters. "And it stinks!"

"Hey, Allie. Come take a look at this." I turn my attention to Diego, crouched with Varyyn near what appears to be a makeshift shrine. I come closer and find trinkets spread around a small wooden figurine.

"What's this?"

"Do you remember the religious war my people fought?" Varyyn asks. When we both nod, he continues. "Some sects believed that praying to individual Catalysts would bring them sooner."

I squint at the idol, trying to make out some distinctive feature, dragon wings, a wolf's head, bear paws...

"Can you tell which one of us this is for?"

Diego lifts the idol to inspect it. As he does, something drops from a hole in the side into the dust at his feet. I bend to pick it up. It's a tarnished silver pen, with an engraving along the side: _Grace Tamara Hall._ My heart beats faster.

"This belongs to Grace!"

"What?" Diego snatches the pen from my hand to read the engraving. "She was here?"

"Perhaps," Varyyn says.

Diego swallows and meets my gaze, his dark eyes troubled. "Allie, this pen looks old. I mean like _old._ This much tarnish on silver..."

" _NO!"_ Craig's terrified cry makes us all jump. We all rush over to where he is stooped inside a narrow alcove, cradling something in his arms. My blood turns cold as it rushes out of my head to collect at my feet. Time seems to stop.

A body, mostly decayed, rests in Craig's arms. Still attached to a flap of rotting flesh on the scalp is an unmistakeable streak of maroon hair.

"...No..."

"...Th-that can't be Zahra..." Quinn whimpers. "...Right...?"

Trembling violently, Craig slips the bracelets off the corpse's bony wrists. They're familiar. Too familiar. Raj sucks in his breath sharply, hand flying to his mouth. Michelle backs away, her face ashen.

"No..."

"Th-there's writing over here," Raj says weakly, pointing to the wall. "It says, 'You will be next.'"

Quinn dissolves into tears beside me. Sean curses under his breath, furiously kicking at the tree. I stare numbly at the grotesque pile of sloppy flesh and brittle bones. It...it can't be. It's not possible. ...I passed the test. They were alive...they were all alive... At least...they were alive when I reached the Threshold. But now the cycle has been broken. And this may have been my last chance. ...Have we lost her for good this time? Our Zahra? Our snarky lich queen, our brilliant hacker, our strong, fearless crow? I never saw her flinch, never saw her break. In another lifetime, I watched her singlehandedly destroy Rourke's entire empire. ...How could she be the first to go now, of all of us, when I was supposed to have finally gotten it all right?

Craig straightens slowly, clutching the bracelets, his face a twisted red mask of grief and fury.

"We had only just...I was going to..." He chokes on a sob, looking uncharacteristically small and helpless. Michelle reaches out to lay a hand on his shoulder, but he pulls sharply away, whirling to slam his fist into a wall with a furious cry.

"Hey, man, hold on-" Sean steps forward to pull him away, but Craig throws all his weight into a shove that actually sends Sean sprawling to the stones. His breath starts coming out in fast, shallow gasps.

"Craig, stop!" I cry. "Craig, you need to breathe!"

He ignores me, whipping around to face the dark recesses of the ruin. "Hey! Ghost! Come out so I can kick your ass!" He beats his fists wildly on the stone walls. A loud snap echoes across the plaza. Suddenly, the floor under my feet is trembling.

"Uh, Big Guy, I think you made it angry..." The floor drops about a foot beneath us, throwing us all off balance.

"Hang onto something!" Kele shouts. The stone under our feet starts to split apart, receding towards the walls and leaving us less room to stand on by the second.

"...I told you so," Michelle mutters.

"Grab onto the walls!" I shout. I grasp whatever handholds I can find on the uneven stone walls, looking worriedly over my shoulder at my friends. Everyone scrambles to get onto the walls or the trees. Except for Craig. He stands still as the floor recedes. His back is to me, but I don't need to see his face to guess at his thinking.

"Craig, don't be stupid!" Michelle screams. "Grab hold of something!"

Before anyone can stop him, he jumps into the gap.

"No! Craig!" There is a distant thud as he lands. Suddenly, the gap in the floor starts to close again, edges slowly creeping together.

"Dammit!" Michelle jumps off the wall and runs toward the narrowing gap.

"What are you doing?!" Sean cries.

"I'm not letting him get stuck down there alone!" she snaps, scrambling over the edge. She lets go of the ledge and disappears.

"Hold on!" Sean yells. "I'm coming too!" One by one, the others jump down into the gap. I raise my eyes to meet Diego's beside me. He smiles weakly.

"All for one and one for all, right?"

"...Here goes nothing..." I turn myself against the wall and reach out to grasp his hand. Together, we launch ourselves into the gap. As the stones snap shut over our heads, all I see is darkness. We tumble through the air and land in a pile with the others.

"Whose elbows are in my back?" Estela groans.

"My arm is goin' numb," Jake complains.

"This is not an ideal cuddle puddle," Raj concedes.

As we slowly untangle ourselves, my eyes start to adjust to the darkness, broken by one small shaft of light from above. It illuminates Craig as he pounds his fists against the wall.

"Come out, asshat!" he howls. "I need to punch you out of existence!"

"Dude, the ghost might not even have a corporeal form," Raj points out.

"I don't care!"

Sean seizes Craig's shoulders and turns him around, forcing them to lock eyes.

"I know it hurts, man," Sean says gently. "I know. I feel it too. We all do. We all cared about Zahra. But just take a second. Breathe. Just let yourself feel whatever you're feeling."

For a long moment, Craig just stares at his friend. Then his face crumples, his lips quivering. He pulls away sharply and collapses onto the stairs. I rush to his side to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Craig. I promise, we'll avenge her." I grip his shoulder, speaking through clenched teeth. "I swear, whoever or whatever took Zahra from us, we will make them pay."

"Hell yeah we will, Alodia."

"Will both of you stop and think for two seconds?" Estela snaps impatiently. Craig scowls at her.

"Of all people, I thought _you'd_ understand!"

"I do understand. But whatever this ghost is might have information about the island."

Craig's shoulders sag under the weight of his grief. "I'm just...I'm so tired of never being good enough. I wasn't good enough to get drafted-"

Sean looks sharply at him. "Wait, what?!"

"I wasn't good at school," Craig continues, ignoring Sean. "I wasn't...I couldn't get to Zahra fast enough. It's just...why couldn't it have been _me?!_ "

"Oh, Craig..." Michelle murmurs.

"She beat me at everything!" he cries. "She was smarter, cooler, always knew what to do...Why is she gone and a dumb, worthless loser like _me_ still here?!" He dissolves into ragged sobs, tears running down his cheeks in rivers. For a long while, no one speaks. Then Diego yelps, raising a finger toward a glowing rock wall.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"There! That's it!" Estela exclaims.

Sure enough, the glowing ghostly figure is coming through the rock wall and descending the stairs toward us. Shock and disbelief momentarily halt Craig's tears as he stares at it. Then his face twists with rage.

"You! You killed my friend!" He lunges at the figure, throwing punch after wild punch, but his fist passes through it. The figure endures Craig's furious assault placidly, not moving. "I hate you! I hate you! I...why isn't it hurting me?"

"...Because it's Zahra?" Michelle suggests.

"What?!"

"Think about it. Who else's spirit would do things to try to help us?"

"Of course," Sean murmurs. "It does make sense..."

Craig's face twists with fresh anguish. "Z-Zahra...? I'm...I'm so sorry..." He clasps his hands in what looks almost like a prayer. "I didn't find you fast enough. I wasn't there when you needed me. I was so sure that you'd be okay, and then I...I...I failed you..."

The ghost bends toward him, holding out its hand. A small, silvery ring rests in its palm. Craig looks at me, his eyes begging for guidance. I nod.

"Take it. I think you'll want to see this."

He stretches out a trembling hand to accept the ring. "It's my class ring," he mumbles. "My parents picked this one out a while ago. They were gonna give it to me at graduation." I hold out my hand, silently asking permission to touch it. He passes it toward me, and I feel the familiar weightlessness as the world around me dissolves.

 _A football stadium, packed with spectators. "Ultra Bowl" is emblazoned on the grass beneath the players' feet. The Eagles lead the Condors by four points, with five seconds on the clock._

 _"We can still pull this off, Craig," Sean says. "Can you make a hole for me?"_

 _"All day, every day, bro," Craig replies._

 _"All right, let's do this. 64, 96, Fireball...Hut hut!"_

 _The defensive lineman barrels down toward the quarterback, but the linebacker pushes him hard to the side. The quarterback scrambles up the middle, flying past the front line. Two defenders come from the side and begin to pull him down. He laterals the ball to the linebacker before he's taken down._

 _"Get it!" Sean yells._

 _The defense goes for the linebacker, but he rolls through them, straight into the endzone._

 _"I don't believe it!" the announcer shrieks. "The Condors win! The Condors win the Ultra Bowl!"_

 _"That's what I'm talking about!" Sean crows as fireworks explode over the field._

 _In a comfortable, cheerful office, Sean and Craig set down their controllers and high five each other. On the computer screen in front of them, animated figures are carrying out a giant trophy. The sound of a cheering crowd floats out from the speakers. Sean, dressed in his purple and black Condors uniform, grins at his friend._

 _"You're as good a lineman in game as you are in real life!"_

 _Craig, dressed in jeans and a plain T-shirt, laughs. "Maybe real-life me five years ago!" he says, ruefully poking at his belly, which has grown a little bit rounder. "Not a lot of lineman training behind this desk."_

 _He closes the test rig on the screen, and Sean leans back, lacing his fingers behind his head. "It's good."_

 _Craig grins. "For real, bro, thanks for coming in for our cover photoshoot. You've become_ Touchdown 2021's _biggest selling point."_

 _"Hey, anything for you man. Just gotta make sure the game only has my good plays in it."_

 _Craig snorts. "Dude, don't worry. We literally had to nerf your stats because you were so OP."_

 _Sean smiles, casting his eyes over the office. His eyes fall on a photo sitting on the desk in front of him, of him and Craig in their Hartfeld uniforms, side-by-side. Craig notices where his gaze has landed and frowns a little._

 _"...Hey, Sean?"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"How do you know when you're good enough at what you do?"_

 _"Where's this coming from?"_

 _"Okay, so you're literally one of the best athletes in the world, Raj basically owns the NomNom Network...Sometimes, I just...don't know if I can keep up, you know?"_

 _"Aw, dude-"_

 _"I know, it's dumb."_

 _"You're working on one of the biggest game franchises in the world. You found a life that makes you happy. Honestly, man, I'm really proud of you."_

 _"...Really?"_

 _"Since getting this job, I gotta say I feel like you've come into your own. You stopped trying to pull people down, and found something you loved. I think that's awesome."_

 _"And I haven't even told you about CheeseFry-day."_

 _"Is that where you get cheese fries on Friday?"_

 _"It's the best, dude."_

 _A photographer wanders in from the next room. "Mr. Gayle, we're ready for you. Follow me, please."_

 _"That's my cue."_

 _"Sure is," Craig agrees. "And I got a meeting coming up. But hey. Thanks, man. I mean it. I don't know how I woulda gotten here without you."_

 _"Nah." Sean claps him on the shoulder. "This is all you, Craig."..._

… I'm back in the cavern again, my hand and Craig's still on the ring. The others stare at us and the ghostly figure between us.

"Did...did you just see...?"

I smile. "Yeah. I did."

The ghost is shining brighter now. Craig turns toward it. "I think...I know what she's trying to tell me." He offers the spirit a watery smile. "Zahra, if it's you, I just wanna say something, before you go..."

The spirit looks down at him, apparently waiting for him to continue. He draws in a shuddering breath.

"I...I think I'm in love with you. And I don't know how to stop. I don't think I can. I just started to think that I could be your Player 2..." His voice cracks with anguish, and he covers his face. "I wish I could've stopped this from happening. But I know why you showed me the future. You want me to keep going. So...I'll do my best."

The spirit starts to recede into the wall, but it keeps its hand stretched toward Craig. As it fades, Craig dissolves into fresh tears, crying brokenly into his hands. Sean and Michelle rush forward, wrapping their arms around him as he sags toward the floor.

"We're right here, Craig," Sean murmurs, looking ready to cry himself. "Right here."

"I'm such a wuss," Craig says bitterly. "Why couldn't I tell her...?"

"...Tell me what?"

Everyone freezes at the unmistakeable voice behind us. We turn slowly, hardly daring to believe it. But it's true. Her dark hair is ragged and uneven, as if she's been stubbornly maintaining her undercut with sharpened rocks, and her signature maroon streak is faded and somewhat off-color. But there's no mistaking her. It's Zahra.

Quinn is the first to say it. "...Y-you're alive!"

Estela blinks, looking back towards where the ghost has faded. "Then what just..."

"Z...?" Craig's voice trembles. "Is that you?"

Zahra coughs awkwardly, shifting her weight. "Craig, did you, uh...mean all that stuff? About me dying?"

Craig is off like a gunshot, pulling Zahra into a crushing embrace. She yelps as the breath rushes out of her, grimacing. Craig lifts her bodily off the floor, bouncing with elation.

"It's you! You're not dead! You're really not dead!"

"To be not dead, I need to _breathe!"_ she croaks, squirming. He sets her down, but he only pulls back slightly.

"Sorry about that. Actually, not sorry. You're alive!"

"If I do die, you are _not_ allowed to speak at my funeral. That was cheesy as hel-" She's cut off by Craig's lips pressed firmly to hers. Quinn laughs.

"Aww!" she cooes.

"Should we turn around?" I quip, aware that I'm grinning like an idiot and not really caring. Zahra, kissing Craig back with passion, puts her middle finger up at us. After a moment or two, they reluctantly break apart. Zahra looks Craig over.

"I guess it's cool that you're not dead or whatever either."

"So...Zahra, you're buddies with the ghost?" I ask. She looks reproachfully at me.

"No, you doofus. I _am_ the ghost."

"Then, the spooky noises? The floor opening up?"

She grins, clearly pleased with herself. "Speakers playing sounds based on a randomized time interval."

"The blood?" Jake asks.

"Had to eat a few squirrels the last couple months. Figured the blood was a nice touch."

"A couple months?!" Raj yelps.

"Yeah, let's skip past that part," she mutters.

"What about the floor?" Michelle asks.

"You mean my masterpiece," Zahra answers with a wicked grin. She digs a small flashlight out of her pocket and points it at the ceiling. A large series of wires and supports rest under each stone square. I whistle lowly.

"You have been busy. And you managed to fool those Arachnid troops."

She laughs. "Did they piss their pants this time? I hope I got it on video."

"Okay, I get pretending to be a ghost," Quinn says. "But why fake your own death?"

Zahra shrugs. "Rourke can't kill me if he thinks I'm dead."

"You almost convinced _us,_ " Sean replies softly.

"Yeah, well...you're here. I'm here. It all worked out."

"That still doesn't explain the glowy thing that's trying to give us stuff," Raj points out.

"Glowy thing?" Zahra repeats, blinking. "I didn't have a glowy thing."

"Okaaaaaay," Jake drawls. "Then who the hell is Beetlejuice and why is he coming after us?"

Heavy, clunky footsteps on the staircase distract us from speculating further. We shrink into a protective huddle, turning towards the sound. I feel my blood run cold.

 _Oh, no...please, no...not here...not now..._

The Endless stands in front of us, her aged face once more concealed behind her visor. The flame that once danced over her mechanical right hand is gone.

"I'm afraid there is something else you need to worry about."


	5. The Party Before the End

"How did they get past my security system?!" Zahra demands in a whisper. "No one comes in here without me knowing about it!"

A familiar blue light catches my eye. Somehow, without my noticing, several small time rifts have opened in the skin of reality inside the cavern. I look back at the Endless. In spite of myself, I feel my initial horror at the sight of her giving way to relief.

"...You're alive...I...thought I saw the lava cover you..."

"This suit makes lava a momentary inconvenience, at worst."

"Wait." Michelle frowns at me. "Alodia, do you know this person?"

Suddenly, I feel all resistance bleeding out of me. I don't want to fight the truth anymore. I can't keep it to myself. I don't want to face it alone. I want their help. My friends. My family. The people I will...the people I _did_ put the spacesuit on for. The people the Endless lost her hand for. I exhale slowly, my breath shaking.

"Guys...this is the Endless."

Varyyn immediately drops to his knees, looking reverently up at the red-clad figure, slackjawed with amazement.

"Uqzhaal said that the Endless prophesied the end of the world," Diego murmurs. "And us stopping it."

"Right. About that." I swallow hard. "Endless, will you remove your helmet please?"

"Very well." She unhooks the clasp at the neck of her suit, and pulls her helmet off, revealing my own aged face. I close my eyes as the others gasp and murmur around me.

"...As you can see," I say softly. "The Endless is...me."

"W-what?" Varyyn cries, incredulous.

"Nope," Jake says. "Nope! This is too weird."

"How can this geezer be you?!" Craig demands. "You're way younger! ...And standing right in front of us!"

"I've been in La Huerta's time loop for many, many years, Craig," the Endless replies. I wrap my arms around myself, keeping my eyes closed.

"We've landed on the island several times. The first time, everyone died...except me. That version of me learned how to reset the time loop in order to save everyone." In spite of my best efforts, tears trickle out from beneath my eyelashes, slipping down my cheeks. "It didn't work. So she tried again. And again. And again."

"What...?" Raj gasps. "Old-Alodia, how many times have you done this."

"Two-thousand, one-hundred thirty nine times," the Endless answers. "But thanks to Alodia, it has all been worth it."

"We've... _died_ over two-thousand times?!" Quinn cries.

"It turns out altering the course of time and history takes a lot more effort than you'd think," I quip bitterly.

"I don't understand," Varyyn whispers. "The Endless One is a prophet to our people! Without the Endless-"

"Without the Endless, the Vaanti religion wouldn't have Catalysts, Raan'losti...any of it," I confirm mournfully.

"That can't be! Endless One, tell me this isn't true!"

The Endless' bright blue eyes are heavy with pain as she regards the elyyshar. "I tried," she says softly, "so many, many times, in so many ways, to convince your people to keep my friends alive. In the end...this was the only way."

"My people fought wars for you! They died because of you!"

"As a king, you must understand the hard decisions that are made to protect those you love."

Varyyn has nothing to say to that. Kele shakes his head, bewildered.

"I've seen some sights on this island, but this..."

"Alodia, you've known this whole time?" Estela asks, looking hurt.

"No, not this whole time. I had just found out when I met up with you and Jake during the eruption."

"But why didn't you tell us anything? We're your friends!"

"And was I supposed to tell you that I was watching you die?!" My friends startle at my words and the sudden heat in my voice. Tears start to flow from my eyes in earnest now. "Every time I touched one of those damn idols, I watched one of you die! Eleven fucking times, I watched someone I love die and I couldn't do anything about it and I didn't understand why it was happening! Then I found out that these visions were actual _things_ that _happened,_ over two-thousand times...and all that could be for _nothing_ if we don't stay one step ahead of Rourke...I tried...I tried to explain...but every time I had the chance, I just...couldn't..."

Quinn pulls me into a tight hug. I hold her back, trembling. "Oh, Alodia...I understand," she murmurs, stroking my hair. "Sometimes it's easier to bury the pain than to talk about it."

"...It does explain how you were acting," Diego admits with a sigh. "Oh, Allie, I wish you'd said something..."

"I know this is a lot for you to process," the Endless says. "But time is not on our side. We've much to discuss."

I pull out of Quinn's embrace, looking around at the circle of bewildered faces. "Please, everyone...I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but it's because of the Endless that we've survived this long. We ought to hear what she has to say."

"Rourke is mere days away from perfecting his method of extracting energy from the Island's Heart," the Endless says. "Soon, the loop will collapse and this island...all of you...may cease to be depending on his whim. I've come to tell you of a way you can reclaim the first half of the Heart."

"What, are we just supposed to put on the military gear again and march back into his hideout?" Craig snaps.

"That barely worked the first time," Zahra adds.

"He's probably expecting us, anyway," I agree.

"We don't even know where Rourke is right now," Quinn points out.

"He has move his base to a sealed compound beneath the Observatory. From there, he can oversee all of his facilities at once. This time you'll need a very particular set of skills to bypass his defenses. Do you recall the Vaanti warriors that you sent through a portal at The Celestial?"

"If by recall you mean having nightmares about it on the reg," Raj replies, "then yeah."

"Some of them were killed by Rourke's assassin. But others were transported to an extremely distant future, where their descendants learned to survive by foraging through fractures in time. The recent eruption has shifted the chronoscape of La Huerta again, bringing them back to our present. Go to them. They can help you reach the Heart undetected."

"If this is so urgent, why aren't you doing it yourself?" Estela asks.

"Due to the instability of the crux within Mount Atropo, I'm afraid my hands are tied." She looks down at her mechanical limb and smiles ruefully. "Well. Hand." She turns back towards the staircase. Seeing her making ready to depart, I am gripped by sudden anxiety. I still don't want to believe it. There is a part of me that still wants to resist her and the truth of her.

"Wait!" I cry. She turns back to me and I swallow hard. "...How can we trust you?"

"Good point," Jake agrees. "Few too many mirrors and smokescreens goin' here for my comfort."

The Endless sighs patiently, and turns her gaze back onto us, locking eyes with Quinn. "...Quinn likes dolphins because her first family outing once she got better was to Marine World."

Quinn's eyes widen. "H-how did you...?"

"Zahra and Craig frequently prank the group to raise everyone's spirits," the Endless continues. "Sometimes Raj helps."

Zahra clears her throat. "I mean, I personally wasn't doing it to raise everyone's-"

"Sean won't eat until everyone else has food, or until Michelle nags him to stop letting his food get cold." Sean and Michelle exchange glances. The Endless continues. "Peace makes Estela nervous because she can't know where everyone stands during peacetime. Jake...Jake gives nicknames because Mike gave nicknames, and the habit keeps Mike alive for him, even now. Diego believes the best Star Wars movie is objectively _The Empire Strikes Back,_ but _Return of the Jedi_ is his favorite because he likes the happy ending. Alodia, wherever you are, if you stop to let your thoughts catch up with you, you imagine every generation that walked the same ground before you."

A stunned silence descends over us.

"I...think that about settles it," Sean mumbles.

"Yeah," I admit. "This is definitely...me..."

The Endless regards us all thoughtfully. "Alodia, I must say I am proud of how well you have looked after your friendships. These people care about you more than anyone else in the world."

"I think they're pretty special, too," I reply, smiling in spite of myself.

"Treasure every moment you have with them."

"I always do," I whisper.

There is a sharp click from above us. The stone ceiling is reopening.

"Look out!" Estela yelps. A shadowy figure drops down behind us. Light reflects off the metal barrel of a flintlock pistol.

"Red demon!" A familiar voice snarls. "I grow tired of your games! Take me to the Fountain before I cut your suit to ribbons and tie your innards like a...mes amis?!"

"Yvonne...?"

"She has been following me for some time," the Endless remarks blithely. I ignore my aged self.

"Where's Malatesta? After the storm we couldn't find either of you."

"La Mer brought us to shore a ways to the south. Mal, the slithering codfish that he is, immediately left to find _The Dorado_. Which is when I saw this scarlet cretin and tracked it here!"

"Welcome to No'ox Naj, Yvonne. What you've looked for all this time can be found here."

"C'est ici? Where?!"

"I will show it to you," the Endless replies patiently. "Everyone else should prepare for the journey to Quarr'tel."

"Quarr'tel?" Varyyn repeats. "But the City of Heretics was lost in the Three Tribes' War."

"Not so lost these days, you'll find." The Endless is already leading us up into the hidden alcove where Zahra's decoy skeleton was found. "Yvonne, Alodia, stay with me a moment. We will join the rest of you shortly."

As the others start to drift off, Jake and Diego hesitate. Jake takes my hands and gives me a searching look.

"Are you sure about this, Princess?" I give him a quick kiss.

"I'll be fine. I don't think I'm going to hurt myself."

He reluctantly steps back, and Diego pulls me into a gentle hug. "We'll meet you back at camp, Allie."

The group files out until only Yvonne, the Endless, and I remain in the main hall. The Endless walks over to the tree that Sean and Kele had investigated earlier.

"Here it is."

"I grow tired of your tricks, cretin," Yvonne snarls. "This is a tree, not a fountain!"

"Trust me, Yvonne. Place your hands on the bark. Think back to the year you left France."

Yvonne looks nervously at me. Then, she purses her lips and firmly grasps the tree's trunk with both hands. Her eyes widen as the bark beneath her hands turns transluscent.

"Zut alors! What is this?" The glow spreads the length of the tree's trunk, and a small boy with dark hair and ruddy skin becomes visible within. He sits on a crate, though where exactly he is, I cannot tell. Yvonne gives a small cry. "Pattie! Pattie, mon doux petit frère! Je suis la!"

The child looks up, apparently hearing something. But after a moment, he frowns and looks down at his feet again. He starts to cough. Rough, barking coughs that make his small body spasm. I feel my ribs ache in sympathy.

"...Yvonne...is that your brother...?" Yvonne ignores my question, glaring at the Endless.

"Red Devil, why is he coughing? Is he all right? Will he live?"

"No," she replies softly. Her wrinkled face is sorrowful, but calm. Too calm for my liking. "He has only a few months left."

"Then why take me here?! What are you playing at?! How could you-"

"Yvonne, stop!" I say firmly. I put a hand on her shoulder and feel her shuddering under my touch. "Endless, what is going on?"

"Patrice..." Yvonne whimpers. "I left him, promising when I came back, we'd be rich as kings. But when I returned from my first tour...I found that he had been taken in the plague."

"The Mayans called this tree 'Fountain of Youth," the Endless explains. "But it does not restore one's vitality per se. You may reflect on a time. On a place. But that is all."

"Then use your magic!" Yvonne snarls. "Go back in time and save him, as you did your friends!"

"Yvonne." The Endless' voice is heavy. "It took hundreds of changes to history and circumstance just for them to survive one day on this island. If we had the luxury of many years, with nothing else on the line, perhaps we could save Patrice from his illness. But we have neither."

Yvonne is quiet for a long moment, trembling violently. Within the spectral tree, Patrice sings under his breath in English.

"Yvonne the Fair, sails the seas, in search of fame and gold. She fight and raids and cuts down knaves who dare to call her old..." He cuts himself off with another fit of coughing. Yvonne moans, bowing her head.

"Please...please, I have come all this way. What can I do for him...?"

"Reach out with your heart. With all your love, and focus on being there with him. He will hear you. See you."

"And then...?"

"You will have only a few minutes to speak with him. But he will remember what you say."

Yvonne turns a helpless gaze on me. "Alodia...I don't know if I can do it. I want to. With all my heart. But..."

"Say goodbye to him, Yvonne," I say softly. "This is your only chance. Take it while you can."

After a long moment, she nods. Her grip on the tree tightens, and she brings her forehead to rest on the bark.

"Pattie! Mon petit...can you hear me?"

Patrice stops singing and whirls to face Yvonne, his eyes going wide.

"Yvie...? C'est vous?"

Tears start to run down Yvonne's cheeks, but she can't hold back a laugh. "Oui...oui, mon petit. C'est moi..."

"Yvie!" He rushes towards her, arms open for an embrace, but he can't press through the tree. He speaks in rapid French, his voice concerned, his words too quick for me to follow. He pushes against the tree, puzzled. He stops, coughing weakly. Yvonne chokes on a sob, answering. As the tree's aura expands, I find I can understand them.

"Little Pattie, I do not have long. I only have a few minutes."

"Are there guards chasing you? I can fight them off-" Another series of coughs rips from his chest.

"Pattie, no. Just sit down, all right? I have something to tell you." Yvonne sinks to her knees, her head level with her brother's. "This...this is the last time I will see you."

"What? But why? You promised you would come back for me! You-" The coughing comes again, sounding rougher and harsher with each breath.

"I did, my dear," Yvonne says softly. "I did. I'm right here."

Patrice's face falls. "...I'm sick, Yvie..."

"I know..."

"...Madame la Roche from church says it won't get better."

Yvonne swallows hard. "...No. It won't." Her voice breaks as a sob escapes her, her shoulders convulsing. "I am so, so sorry, Pattie. I was an idiot to leave you by yourself. Every day I regret not taking you with me..."

Patrice raises a hand to press his palm against hers on the spectral window between them.

"It isn't your fault, Yvie," he says gently. "If I had come with you, you might have gotten sick, too."

"...But..."

"No but. If we don't have long, I need you to listen to me now, Yvie. Whenever I can, I sneak down to the Rotting Pig and listen to the pirates talk."

"What?! Those are dangerous people, Pattie!"

"I'm not done yet!" he says firmly. His sister closes her mouth, startled. "One day, Captain Malatesta came in, singing about you."

"H-he did?"

"I said, 'That is my sister!' and he said that you are a great pirate..."

"Oh, Pattie..."

The light within the tree is beginning to flicker. "Yvie? What is happening?"

"You are almost out of time," the Endless warns.

"You must listen to me now, little Pattie," Yvonne says gently. "I promise that when I conquer my own island, and run a port revered by all pirates...it will be called Patrice Port. I...I wish you could see it..."

"I will," Patrice replies softly. "Through you. I love you, Yvie." He leans in to nuzzle his sister's forehead through the glass like a cat.

"I love you, my little brother. So, so much..." Patrice is fading further now, barely visible through the darkening bark.

"I will be with you soon, sister..."

"I know you will, Pattie. I know. Until then...au revoir..."

Then, just like that, he's gone. There is nothing beneath her hands but dark, mossy bark. Yvonne slumps against the tree, sobbing.

"I am sorry, Yvonne," the Endless says gently. "I wish there was more I could do."

Yvonne doesn't respond. She clings to the tree like a scared child clinging to a parent, keening and howling with grief. I can't help but wrap my arms around her shoulders. She releases the tree and clutches me instead, sobbing into my chest.

"That stupid, beautiful, wonderful boy!" she wails. "What right's a child have saying such things?! If he's so wise now, what could he have become if...if..."

"I wish I knew what to say that could make this better...if there even is anything I could say..."

Yvonne shakes her head. "You've already done more than I could ever ask, Alodia."

"...I have?"

"I was ready to turn back. To not take this chance. I am grateful that you made me take it."

"...You're welcome." Abruptly, she stands and turns away.

"I must go. I need...time. On my own." She gathers her scattered possessions.

"Now?" I ask. "Don't you even want to say goodbye to the others?"

"No. Not now. Wish them well for me."

"But what about Rourke?"

"I will rejoin you in time, Alodia," she says firmly. "But I cannot just now. ...Until we next meet, ma petite blonde."

She dips her head to us both and steps out of the ruined temple. By the time I emerge, she has already vanished into the wilderness. The Endless and I return to the camp in silence. The others are waiting expectantly for us there.

"Where's Buccaneer Barbie?" Jake asks, frowning.

"She...needs some time alone," I murmur. "She said to go on without her."

"I hope she'll be okay," Quinn says worriedly.

"Oh, don't worry too much about her. She's got tricks enough up her sleeve."

With the Endless leading, we make our way deeper into the jungle. Gradually, the lush green landscape begins to change, turning rougher and browner. Vibrant foliage is replaced with withering, decaying plants and dry, scorched earth. Finally, we reach the edge of a vast expanse of burnt, blackened husks of trees, most of them branchless, barely standing in the barren earth under our feet. A thick fog envelopes the scene. Estela kneels, examining the ash-covered forest floor.

"What did this?"

"The war between my people was vicious," Varyyn says grimly. "Too vicious."

"The Lorax would not be happy," Diego deadpans.

"Can't even escape war here," Kele mutters bitterly. The Endless catches my eye, pointing into the distance.

"Stay east and you should reach the city. The Vaanti there can help you reach Rourke's compound."

Zahra shivers. "Am I the only one who feels like we're out of extra lives on Evil Mode?"

"What are you afraid of, ghoulie girl?" Kele scoffs. "It's a field of dead trees."

"Never call me that," Zahra growls. "Ever again."

Jake snorts. "Looks like Uncle Sam and I are on the same page."

"Oh, please," Michelle snorts. "You two aren't even in the same book."

"Guys," Sean says impatiently. "We've got a lot to do before the sun goes down."

The Endless chuckles to herself. She meets my gaze, smiling knowingly. "The more things change..."

In spite of myself, I feel a smile playing around my mouth. "...The more they stay the same," I finish.

"There will no doubt be trials along the way. But I have faith you will succeed."

" _You_ have faith?" I ask incredulously. "After everything you've seen?"

"Faith is _all_ I have left, Alodia. Faith that you will stop Rourke. Faith that you will protect our friends. Faith that the cycle can be broken, one day very soon." With these words, the Endless turns and begins climbing back up the hill we just came down. I watch until she has vanished from sight.

Estela is still crouched low, examining the ground. "There are footprints here. Fresh. Maybe they will lead us to someone who knows the way."

"There's something else." Kele gestures to a slash mark along the blackened bark of a tree. "A tracking mark. If we follow trees slashed like this, it might take us where we need to go."

"Perhaps. I think the footprints are a safer bet, though. Fresh tracks mean that whoever it is won't have gotten far, and I'd rather have a guide we can communicate with if possible."

Estela nods approvingly. "Let's go."

We trace the footsteps along the scorched earth. Within half an hour, we spot a figure leaning against a tree. He has the blue-tinted skin of a male Vaanti, but he is not dressed like any Vaanti I've ever met. His auburn hair is cut short, rather than the braids favored by the warriors of Elyys'tel. His attire looks like something out of an anime, all leather and denim in bright orange, dark blue, and black. He doesn't wear a warrior's mask like any I've ever seen, but a gray leather half-mask does cover his eyes and the length of his nose. Over his mouth and nose, he wears what looks like a white surgical mask.

Varyyn waves to him, calling out in Vaanti. "Los'na! Pashtara makla pren Elyys'tel!"

"Quis es?" the strange Vaanti replies. "Quid tu hic agis?"

Varyyn blinks, staring back at him. The rest of us exchange bewildered glances.

"...Was that _Latin?"_ Michelle asks uncertainly.

"Uhhh..." Jake clears his throat. "Pouvez-vous parler français?"

"Ich kann nicht Ihnen verstehen," the Vaanti answers. "Vielleicht sprechen Sie Deutsch? Or English?"

"Hey, I think he said English!" Craig exclaims. "We speak that one!"

The strange Vaanti sighs with relief. "Why did you not say so?"

"Can you help us?" I call. "We're trying to find Quarr'tel."

"Quarr'tel is a place for those who live not today, yesterday, or tomorrow, but all of them at once."

"Okay, listen here, Fortune Cookie," Jake snaps. "The world depends on us getting to your treehouse. Could ya try to make some sense?"

"Cool your heels, flyboy," Kele murmurs. "I'm sure we can work something out."

Varyyn shakes his head. "We are wasting time. As Elyyshar of Elyys'tel, I command you t-"

"To what?" the other Vaanti sneers. "All citizens of Quarr'tel have revoked titles, property, gods...everything in service of the eternal continuum. If you want to get in, you'll have to relinquish the title of elyyshar."

Varyyn recoils slightly, eyes wide. "Wh-what?"

"Look, we know you're just trying to do your job," Sean says, "but is there nothing else we can do to get him in?"

"There is no room for elyyshars, kings, or prophets in our ranks. Only brothers and sisters, cogs in the great wheel."

Varyyn steps away from him, casting a nervous eye over the rest of us. "I...I cannot do this."

"Varyyn..." Diego murmurs, taking his hand gently.

"You must go on without me, Diego." Varyyn lowers his eyes. "All of you. I made an oath the day my mother died. I cannot go back on it."

I nod reluctantly. "...I get it. You have a responsibility to your people. We can't ask you to abandon them."

Raj nods. "What Alodia said, dude."

"What does it matter what you tell this punk?" Craig mutters. "You could always lie."

"You are not helping your friend's case," the strange Vaanti snaps.

"I have no choice then," Varyyn sighs. He draws his obsidian blade and carves an X into a nearby tree. "I will await your return here. If any of my scouts come to this place, I will tell them what we know."

Diego swallows hard. "...Okay. Just...be safe, all right?"

Varyyn winds his arms around Diego's waist, pulling him into an embrace. Their foreheads press together and they both close their eyes.

"You be safe as well. I will never forgive myself if you get hurt."

Diego lifts his chin and captures Varyyn's mouth with his. After a moment, they reluctantly break apart. Varyyn turns to the rest of us.

"Good luck, my friends. I hope you do not need it." He settles himself beside the tree, crossing his legs in a meditative pose. Diego bites his lip, hesitating.

"You okay, Diego?" Quinn asks.

He nods. "Let's just...do this quickly, okay?"

I meet Varyyn's eyes briefly and he dips his head to me. The strange Vaanti leads us deeper into the dead forest. Jake sighs.

"All right, Hot Topic. You win. Now how do we get to the city?"

"You will see. In time." He turns and walks right through the center of the group, bumping Raj as he passes him.

"Hey!" Raj yelps. And suddenly, the Vaanti is gone, disappeared into the mist that hangs over the ground like a veil.

"Jerk," Michelle mutters.

"Which direction do we go from here?" Estela wonders.

I look up at the sky, but thick gray clouds are obscuring the sun. "I...guess we should just keep walking," I say uncertainly. "I don't know if we'll find anything, but we sure as hell won't find a damn thing just standing here."

We walk deeper into the skeletal forest. As far as the eye can see, there is nothing but burnt-out trees ahead of us.

"Are we there yet?" Craig whines.

"Don't look now," Jake groans, "but I'm very sure we've seen that burned stump before."

"I knew it," Estela sighs. "We're walking in circles."

"This is going to take forever," Quinn says worriedly.

"Allie, maybe we should try-" Diego is interrupted by a startled yelp from Raj. I turn just in time to see him tumble face-first into the dirt.

"Raj!"

"I'm okay!" he quickly assures us. "Just tripped over a root. No problem."

Michelle reaches out a hand to help him up. As he climbs to his feet, she frowns. "Uh, Raj? Why is your pocket glowing?"

"What?" As he dusts himself off, he notices the fuscia glow emanating from his pocket. "Oh, God! What is it?!"

"Calm down, Raj," Sean says quickly. "Let's just-" But Raj has already ripped the glowing thing from his pocket and flung it into the dirt. The glow is bright enough to hurt my eyes at first. But as they adjust, I approach cautiously for a closer look.

"It's a crystal! One of those crystal fragments!"

"The fella we saw earlier must have put it on you when he bumped you," Kele concludes.

"Maybe it's-"

"Part of the solution!" Sean interrupts Diego. "That must be it!"

"Y-yeah..." Diego agrees, shifting awkwardly. "That."

I pick up the crystal, turning it thoughtfully in my hands. As I shift to the right, the glow intensifies slightly. I draw back to the left, and the glow dims again.

"Hey, guys, look at this!" I demonstrate for the others. Each time I turn right, the glow gets brighter.

"Huh. Wonder if that means something," Zahra muses.

I move to the right, along the path the crystal seems to be making for me. Each step makes it glow a little brighter.

"Okay, I think this is a good thing..."

"Nice work, Alodia," Quinn says cheerfully.

Ahead of us, a small patch of ground appears to be glowing the same bright fuscia color as the crystal in my hand. I point to the spot.

"There! Look!"

Zahra jogs ahead to the spot. Pulling out her switchblade, she kneels and begins digging in the cracked soil with the flat of the blade.

"Jackpot!" she crows, holding up a second crystal. She tosses it to me, and I catch it deftly. Side by side, both crystals look shinier and glossier.

"Well, now we have two crystals. What now?"

"Do they still light up and dim depending on which direction you point them?" Jake asks me. I turn slowly in a circle, and the crystals glow brighter as I face the back of the group. I move in that direction, watching the light dance between the crystals.

"Rad," Zahra declares approvingly.

Up ahead, there is a tree marked with a familiar X. Diego lights up like the crystals.

"Hey, we're gonna pass Varyyn! We gotta show him these cool crystals!" There is a bit of extra bounce in his step as we approach the tree. But when we reach it, Varyyn isn't anywhere to be found. His smile fades into confusion. "...Varyyn? Hello? ...Varyyn?"

I look around me, feeling my pulse flutter with concern. There are no footprints in the ash. No sign of movement in the trees.

"He...did say he would wait here, didn't he?" Quinn asks.

"...Varyyn?!" Diego calls a little louder, alarm showing in his eyes.

"No footprints, no markings, no sign of a struggle," Estela murmurs. "It's like he-"

"...Like he disappeared," Diego finishes in a weak whisper. He runs his hands through his hair, pacing nervously. "I'm so stupid...I should have stayed behind with him...I should have been here!"

I reach out to lay a hand on his shoulder. "Easy, Diego. We don't know what happened yet. Maybe he went to hunt down some food, or one of his scouts found him, or-"

"Allie, the entire time I've known Varyyn, when he makes a promise, he _never_ goes back on it! That's _why_ he stayed behind here!" He pulls away from me, going back the way we came.

"Diego, wait! Where are you going?!"

"To find whatever took him!" he snarls. Sean claps a hand down on his shoulder, impeding his progress.

"Diego, we don't have time right now. The Endless was pretty clear that we need to move fast if we want to stop Rourke."

"So we leave him behind?! Are you kidding?! He would come back for any one of us!"

"Diego, please!" Michelle pleads gently. "You've got to calm down."

"How can I calm down?! What if...?" His voice breaks, tears shimmering in his eyes. "...What if he's gone for good? No one in my life has ever made me feel the way he does. Can't you guys understand that?"

"Diego..." I murmur. I reach out to him, but he recoils from me, his eyes flashing.

"I'm going back for him, Allie! Don't try to stop me!" He whips around and runs, charging into the charred, barren forest.

"We're not letting him do this, are we?!" Jake yelps. I draw in a breath, steeling myself, and push the crystals into Jake's hands.

"Hold these a minute. I'm gonna talk to him."

"What? But...wait..."

"Let her go," Michelle says. "She knows Diego better than any of us. If she can't talk him down, I don't think anyone can."

"Go, Alodia," Sean says. "Just remember that we're tight on time."

I don't answer that. I run after Diego, keeping him in my sight as he bobs and weaves between the trees. Abruptly, he skids to a halt, and I nearly crash into him.

"Ohmygod," he whispers. I become aware of a shimmering in the air in front of him as the ghostly figure descends. He staggers backward against me. "Allie, run! I'll try to distract it!"

"Diego, wait! Look!" The ghost has extended its glowing hand. In its palm are two small objects. "It's trying to help you, Diego. Trust me."

When he still hesitates, I stretch out my own hand to the figure, keeping one arm around my friend's shoulders. I take the two small action figures from the ghost's hand and hold them out to Diego. He stares at them, disbelieving.

"Th-those are my-"

"I know. Take them." Our palms meet around the figures, and the world around me is awash with light.

 _I don't recognize the lecture hall I'm standing in. I don't think it's anywhere on Hartfeld's campus. But I do recognize the man at the head of the classroom. He is older. His face is once again clean-shaven, his hair trimmed close to his neck. He wears dark-rimmed glasses and a navy blue sweater vest. But I would know Diego anywhere. He leans easily against the desk as he addresses the students._

 _"...And when you watch a film or take in any work of art, try to let go of your expectations. Look at what the work is attempting, and consider whether or not it's succeeding at that."_

 _"But, Mr. Soto,_ The Warmest Winter _is virtually unwatchable!"_

 _Diego chuckles. "Yeah, sometimes a movie will fail at even being a movie. There's still a lot that can be learned from that." A phone begins buzzing on the table behind him. He glances at it, and_

 _claps his hands. "Okay, good first class, everyone. See you next week!"_

 _The students begin milling out of the classroom. A few of them stop to snap pictures of their professor._

 _"Man, I can't believe they got Diego Soto to teach here," one of them murmurs as he leaves._

 _"I know, right? He literally rewrote the book on film theory!"_

 _Diego, overhearing, smiles slightly. His phone starts to buzz again. He glances at it, and his eyebrows lift. He hesitates for a moment. When the students have cleared the room, he taps the screen, putting the phone on speaker._

 _"...Papa...?"_

 _"Diego?" A familiar voice on the phone says. "Can you hear me?"_

 _"Yeah. Uh...long time. What can I do for you?"_

 _"Son, I wanted to...your mother and I just saw your book."_

 _Diego sighs. "Oh. Okay. So you're calling to tell me you disapprove of what I wrote."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Papa, I'm at work right now. I really don't have time to-"_

 _"No! Diego, please...just listen to me a moment!" His father draws in a breath. "We didn't know you were writing a book. Nancy handed me the paper and it has your name on this little list."_

 _"The New York Times Bestseller list," Diego says indignantly. +_

 _"Yes! And then I watched my morning show and they talked about you on there too!"_

 _"Well, yeah. It came as a pretty big surprise to me too." He pauses a moment. "...So you haven't read it then?"_

 _There is a rustling of pages on the other end of the call. "Ah, here! I like this part. I want to read this out loud, son...'People ask me why there are not new stories. How can film and television just go on doing variations on the same tired scenarios? I tell them to look around. Really look, with an open mind. If you look at life, you'll see the stories we've been shutting out'..."_

 _" 'And all you have to do is let them in'," Diego finishes softly. He glances at a pair of action figures on his desk. He swivels the heroes' arms so that their hands come together._

 _"Diego, my son..." His father's voice is thick with unshed tears. "I'm sorry I never told you before...I am so very, very proud of you."_

 _"I know, Papa," Diego whispers. "I know."_

Another flash brings us back to the dead forest. I look into my best friend's dark eyes, shimmering with tears. He opens his mouth to speak, but a sob bubbles out instead. I wrap my arms around his shoulders. I rub his back as he clings to me.

"Shhhh. It's okay. It's okay. I'm here." For a moment, I think he's going to start sobbing, but his sorrow is ebbing away.

"I...I'm gonna write a book..."

I feel myself smile. "A best-selling book."

Diego pulls back, scrubbing his eyes and looking down at the action figures in his hands. He draws in a shuddering breath. "...Wherever Varyyn is, I've got to trust that he can handle himself."

"He'll come back to us, Diego." I grin. "The Force is strong with that one."

Diego laughs weakly. "Yeah...it really is. Thanks, Allie." He puts an arm over my shoulders as we walk back to the others. As we rejoin the group, all eyes fall on Diego.

"Welcome back, Short Stuff," Jake says. "...You holding up okay?"

Diego inhales slowly, his breath still shaking. His eyes are still red-rimmed, but he nods resolutely. "I'm still worried about Varyyn. But I know he'd tell me to keep going. So I'm gonna keep going."

"We'll find him as soon as we can," Quinn promises.

"I know. I know we will."

I take the crystals back from Jake, and we resume our search. Up ahead, I spot a pulsing blue light sticking out of the top of a broken tree trunk.

"There!" Estela exclaims. She runs ahead and scales the charred husk of a tree, reaching deep into its cracked cavity. "Got it!"

She tosses the third crystal fragment down to me. I manage to catch it, and hold the three fragments together. They shine brighter than ever, almost painfully so. But just as I close my eyes, the light fades. The fragments go dull in my hands.

"...Did we break them?" Craig asks uncertainly.

"I guess a game of hot-and-cold would be too simple," Sean grumbles.

"Let's just think this through," I murmur. "What was the last thing that Vaanti told us?"

"You will see in time," Quinn says.

"That might be a riddle," Michelle says thoughtfully. "It might mean something else."

"...See in time..." Frowning, I raise one of the crystals to my eye and peer through it. I gasp. "Woah! Guys, look at this!"

The light refracting through the crystals casts the image of time rifts and trails before me that weren't there a moment ago. The others gather behind me to look.

"Triiiiippy," Raj drawls.

"We're still stuck, though," I mutter. "It'll take days to explore all of these trails."

"Let me see those crystals. I got an idea." Zahra holds out her hands for the crystals, and I pass them to her. She stacks them together, squinting into the overlapping area. "There it is! I see it!"

I position myself behind her and look over her shoulder through the crystals. Among all the trails, one illuminated path stands out. We follow Zahra along the trail, finally making some headway through the dead forest.

We keep up pace for about an hour. By that time, the sky has gone dark. Stars glitter in the silky blackness above us. And up ahead, a tree-village rises out of the surrounding forest. It looks nothing like Elyys'tel. The great tree of Quar'tel is as charred and dead as the forest around it. But bright neon signs—honest to god neon signs—and throbbing electronic dance music bring it life. I thought of Elyys'tel as the Vaanti city, but it seems it's more like suburbia compared to this place. Raj stops in his tracks.

"...Are we in Oz?"

"If we are, let's hope the Munchkins have whatever we need to get to Rourke," Jake mutters. As we approach, the thumping music becomes more distinct. Craig and Raj bop their heads appreciatively.

"That is a sick beat," Craig says enthusiastically.

"Dude, that drop though!"

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Quinn asks uncertainly. As if to answer her question, a pair of Vaanti rush past us, heading for the great city. One is a woman in a brown leather corset and skirt, wearing a half-mask over her eyes, and a swatch of leather tied over her mouth and nose. Her maroon hair sticks up in a kind of mohawk. The other is a male with silvery-purple hair in a black shirt and brown leather jacket, with a paisly bandana tied over the lower half of his face. He looks back at us, a gleam in his eye.

"Come to crash our party, outsiders?" he calls.

"And if we did?" I call back.

"Then I'd say you're more than welcome here!"

The female produces a small metal disc and proceeds to twist it in her hands. I am suddenly surrounded by blue light as a time rift opens around us. The ground drops out from under my feet, and I find myself falling into empty space. I hear Diego yelp in surprise. As quickly as it vanished, the ground returns, except it isn't the same ground. I land hard on a wooden platform of some sort, where the music is even louder. As I leap to my feet, I realize I am on a walkway inside Quarr'tel, high above the forest floor. My friends land around me. When a quick headcount assures me that no one has been left behind, I relax a little. The two Vaanti alight with cat-like grace. Above us, the rift wavers and disappears.

"It's not an Anacronist party without a crash," the female purrs.

"Wait a minute, so you're the ones making all the portals?" I ask.

"Hmm? Oh, right." The male Vaanti shakes his head. "Rifts are only just starting to appear in this time."

"When we come from, outsider, fractures in the facade you call reality are everywhere. We've simply learned how to make use of them."

Jake holds up a hand. "Gonna stop you right there, Team Rocket. We're here to find a way into Rourke's compound, not trade riddles."

The male Vaanti laughs, spreading his arms wide as he takes a few steps back toward the sounds of the party coming from within the tree's trunk. "Hey! Enjoy the party! It's bound to be more interesting than anything you've seen in your monochronological life!"

The two of them laugh uproariously as Jake scowls. Craig snickers.

"Yo, check it out. Jake just got played for a fool by a dude with purple hair!" The female sidles up to Craig, her hips swaying. She leans in close.

"Time is broken. If you've failed to realize that, it's you who are the fool." She turns sharply on her heel, and the two of them saunter down the catwalk towards the trunk, leaving Craig glaring after them.

"...The hell do they think they are?" he mutters. Raj peers over the edge of the platform.

"Ohhh, guys, do NOT look down!"

"We must be at least a mile up!" Diego remarks, whistling.

"Actually," Jake says thoughtfully, "Insane Clown Posse over there did us a favor. Now we only have to worry about getting down."

For my part, I'm more concerned about finding what we're looking for. I scan our surroundings, and my eyes are drawn to a familiar figure, hunched on a nearby platform.

"Uqzhaal!"

The shaman's head snaps up. As his gaze falls on me, he scowls. Without a word, he ducks into the jumbled structure that pulses with light and music within Quarr'tel's leafless branches.

"He didn't look too happy to see us," Quinn observes nervously.

"No, but he must have some clout with the Vaanti here," Estela remarks. My stomach is quivering a warning, but I nod.

"We...should try to talk to him..." I hurry after him, the others following behind me.

The sight that greets us inside is a pulsing, pounding amalgamation of steam- and cyberpunk all rolled into a nightclub. Neon lights, strobe lights, and gas lanterns illuminate a dance floor crowded with Vaanti, all dressed in leather. At one side, a DJ changes records on a trio of antique phonographs, blasting EDM. A male Vaanti, balancing a tray on one hand, approaches us.

"Outsiders? You shouldn't be here."

I squint at him through the flashing lights, certain I know him from somewhere. "Wait...didn't I see you out in the forest?"

"Entirely beside the point. The Party Before the End has rules. Unless you're here to partake and participate, we'll have to-"

"Of course we're here to have fun!" I interrupt.

"Hell yeah!" Craig agrees. "Let's get it poppin'!"

The Vaanti eyes me through his faceplate, his gaze wary. I meet his eyes steadily. Finally, he extends his tray, loaded with drinks.

"Pick your poison."

I look over the selection. There's something on fire in a brandy glass, something in a beautifully painted china tea cup that probably isn't tea, some kind of silvery-gray sludge oozing out of a tiny ceramic jug... Curiosity gets the better of me, and I select the drippy jug.

"Are you really gonna drink that?!" Michelle hisses.

Craig laughs. "Check it out, Alodia's got an iron stomach!"

"...I think that's the stuff we drank from the roots under Elyys'tel!" Raj exclaims. I lift the lid and peer inside. He's right. The metallic-looking liquid is the same tree sap.

"I think you're right. But Quarr'tel's tree looked pretty dead from the outside..." I raise it slowly to my lips and take the most delicate sip I can manage. It tastes like everything at once. ...And ash. The others select their drinks, and the Vaanti turns away to replenish his tray. Zahra chugs a beer and slams the empty bottle down on a table.

"So far, this ain't half bad," she declares.

Jake scans the crowd, frowning. "Jumanji ought to stick out like a sore thumb here, but I don't see him."

I weave through the crowd, making my way over to the DJ. I wave to catch his attention.

"Excuse me, have you seen-"

"Not now!" he barks.

"Oh. Sorry. I'll wait until the end of your set."

"Not later! Not earlier! All time, all the time!" Apparently, that means something to the gathered Vaanti, because they roar with approval, raising their arms over their heads and dance as if the pulsing beat is in their very veins. Abruptly, the DJ freezes, his eyes widening. The music fades, and a murmur of confusion ripples through the crowd. I follow his eyes and feel my heart drop into my belly.

Uqzhaal, wearing a fearsome gray skull mask topped with brown feathers, climbs up onto a platform.

"Anachronists!" He shouts. "Heed my words! Our kind, all of us...we have been _betrayed!_ "

Something ice-cold is wrapping around my heart and lungs. I try to focus on Uqzhaal, but the room around me is starting to turn hazy. I feel myself sweating.

"Yo, I think somethin' was in those drinks..." Craig's voice wavers as it hits my ears. Uqzhaal's voice comes again, sounding monstrous.

"The Endless lied to us for hundreds of years while secretly absorbing the power of Vaanu!"

"How do you know this?!" A voice from the crowd demands.

"Because I have heard the Endless confess it to an alternate version of herself!" He levels a gnarled finger at me. He's separated from me by a sea of Vaanti anacronists, but I can practically feel his touch in the accusatory gesture. "If you don't believe me, ask her!"

Their faces turn toward me, some bewildered, some contemptuous.

"W-wait a minute! I-" My voice deserts me as the colors and shapes before me begin to swim nauseatingly. I feel myself falling.

 _"Princess!"_ Jake's terrified cry is the last thing I hear as I tumble into darkness.


	6. Clockmaker

...Music is filling my ears. Piano music, a classical melody, familiar and cheerful. Mozart, I think...one of the sonatas. Underneath it is the ticking of an old-fashioned gear clock. As the image of Uqzhaal in his fearsome skull mask tumbles into my mind, I inhale sharply, my eyes flying open. I'm lying on an overstuffed couch in a treehouse room crammed to the gills with bizzare objects. I feel pressure on my right hand, the touch of a familiar calloused palm on my cheek.

"You all right there, Princess?" Jake brushes stray wisps of hair off my forehead, studying my face with worry in his eyes.

"I think so," I mumble, feeling languid. "I'm a little groggy, but I'll live."

I roll my head cautiously to the side to take in my surroundings. A Vaanti woman leans over a worktable. Her clothing is Anachronist, her hair dyed half pale lavender and half bubblegum pink and partially twisted into a topknot. She sets down her tools and wanders over to peer down at me through a pair of steampunk-looking goggles.

"Well, well. Still functioning."

I feel my heavy tongue start to loosen, and I start to babble. "Look...I'm not the Endless! I didn't have anything to do with betraying the Vaanti or..." I trail off as her words register. "Wait...what's still fuctioning?"

"Your internal clock. Woke you up at just the right moment." The Vaanti wanders over to a boom box sitting on the shelf along one wall and turns it off. The Mozart sonata cuts off. "You'll find that most of us aren't too interested in the Endless or the Catalysts. You had a hand in our story, certainly, but for us, that was quite long ago."

With the hand that Jake isn't clutching, I reach up to rub the side of my head, still aching savagely from my fall.

"...What the hell was in that drink?"

"Liquified time crystal. Harmless to us, but extremely toxic to others. Seems the shaman had it out for you." She leans over me, flicking a set of magnifying lenses over her goggles. "No symptoms other than drowsiness, though. You're very lucky. Or perhaps...different."

I scowl, swatting at her with my free hand. "Hey, back off! I didn't come here for a physical."

"No." She straightens. "You came here seeking help. Our help. With the Island's Heart. Your friend Zahra told us."

"Zahra? Where is she?" I look anxiously at Jake. "Where are the others?"

"They're nearby. They're fine. They just spent the night elsewhere in the city."

"Fortunately, no one else consumed what you did," the woman remarks.

"...And Uqzhaal?" I ask, bitterness creeping into my voice.

"On his way to Mount Atropo to stop the Endless, I presume. I pointed out to him that one can't be held accountable for the actions of an alternate self." She pauses a moment. "Oh...you're probably wanting a name to call me. Clockmaker will do."

"What's Jumanji planning to do?" Jake mutters. "Beat up Moon Man with his stick?"

Clockmaker sighs. "I'm afraid his words have managed to inspire a few of us who'd grown restless."

"Restless about being trapped in the past?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Restless while waiting for Vaanu to depart."

"...I'm not sure I follow."

"We don't simply revel for hedonism's sake, you see. It's a farewell party. At some point, an eventuality may occur where Vaanu is finally able to continue on its journey. Then, at long last, our party will end."

"Wait. The island is going somewhere?"

"Not the island, but the life force that created it. Our ancestors worshipped the former, but it's the entity at the heart of La Huerta who _we_ call Vaanu. Vaanu's arrival on Earth tore its body into hundreds of fragments. And when it broke, space and time broke too, trapping Vaanu here."

"Sounds like some kind of alien..." I murmur thoughtfully.

"Stories speak of a bright light. Visions. A faceless angel guiding those in need."

Jake's grip on my hand tightens. "That's our guy!"

"But I still don't understand why it would want to help us..."

"Perhaps Vaanu is hoping you might help it in return," Clockmaker suggests. The ticking clock begins to toll the hour, its bell low and musical. Clockmaker picks up a small desk clock and delicately turns back the hour hand. "As for me, I can get you into Rourke's facility in exchange for an answer to one, simple question."

"This oughta be good," Jake mutters.

Clockmaker takes a seat in an odd-looking chair placed conspicuously in the center of the room and casually folds her arms.

"What is time?" she asks.

Jake raises an eyebrow. "...Seriously?"

"Like...the abstract concept of time?"

"Yes. What does it mean to you? Answer carefully."

I am quiet for a pregnant moment. I close my eyes, trying to picture time. Trying to imagine forever. I start to feel dizzy again. Visions and memories tumble through my mind. The visions of the twelve idols. Memories of conversations I have had on this island, or things I have heard people say.

 _Time is inevitability,_ the Endless said.

 _Marking the passage of time is a fruitless effort,_ Varyyn said. _It is time that marks the passing of us. Every end is a new beginning. Except the last one._

 _We are all slaves to time._

 _Time is a largely superficial construct._

 _We are all temporary,_ I said to Quinn. _Every last one of us is a physical thing that eventually weathers away...killed by the very thing we were trying to keep alive._

Two-thousand one-hundred thirty-nine loops. Loops. Circles. An endless spiral of seasons and years that spirals up and out and moving ever onward as the lights of souls on its path are born and flicker out. ...Spiraling like...a DNA helix...

"...Time is inevitablity," I say softly. "There is no escaping it. ...It always wins in the end..."

Clockmaker seems disappointed by my answer. "An interesting perspective, and an informed one. It is also the perspective of the Endless."

I look up sharply. "I already told you, I'm not-"

"Not now. Not yet. But you are starting to think like her." She sighs and rises. "In any case, you have answered my question, and now my end of the bargain is owed. Come." She opens a sliding metal door and beckons for us to follow. Jake helps me to my feet, supporting me until I find my balance.

We emerge into hazy daylight onto one of the upper walkways. Anachronist Vaanti are still carousing on every level of the city.

"Alodia!" I turn to see Zahra approaching unsteadily, her arm wrapped around Craig's waist, a bundle tucked under her other arm. She hiccups sharply, making Craig snort with laughter.

"Yo, you got the hiccups again."

"No I... _hic_...don't!" she protests. I bite back a smile, trying to look stern.

"Have you two been up partying all night?"

They exchange a blank look and immediately dissolve into giggles.

"You say that like you're surprised," Zahra snorts, hiccupping again.

"Oh, crap, Z!" Craig suddenly yelps. "Don't look now, but there's a mouse by your foot!"

Zahra yelps, looking around wildly. "Where?! Where is it?!"

"Boom," Craig replies. "Hiccups cured."

As Zahra glares reproachfully at Craig, Michelle wanders out of a nearby building, rubbing her temples. Her hair is tousled, her make-up smeared.

"How does anyone sleep around here with all the noise?" she complains.

"It's not 'noise,'" one Vaanti informs her haughtily. "It's EDM."

"Whatever," Michelle grumbles. The others are emerging behind her, looking varying levels of rested. Diego immediately rushes over to me.

"Allie! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. No permanent damage. Just a slight headache." I ruefully rub the tender spot on the side of my head. Diego sags with visible relief.

"Morning, Alodia," Kele calls.

"What's up, doodlebombers?" Raj greets us. He immediately finds a warm place to lie down and closes his eyes. Clockmaker clears her throat.

"Alodia, when you're ready, I can open a rift here in Quarr'tel. It will take you directly to Rourke's compound beneath the Observatory, going back to a time before he'd expect you to arrive."

"Oh, whaaaaaaat?!" Craig crows. "I like this already!"

"So...you're going to help us?" I ask incredulously. "Just for answering a question?"

"That question matters much more than you may realize," Clockmaker replies. "As does the Island's Heart."

"Hey, Alodia," Zahra says. "If you're gonna be a freaking time ninja, you've gotta ditch the pirate look."

I look down at the shirt and breeches I'm still wearing. "...I do?"

Zahra rolls her eyes. "Yes. Desperately. Here." She takes the bundle out from under her arm and deposits it in my arms. "I grabbed some sick gear last night. Put these on."

"Oh, fine, if you insist."

I duck into the nearest building to strip off the shirt and breeches and replace them with Zahra's outfit choice instead. I pull on a purple, black, and navy blue dress of leather and silk with a low-cut bodice and a poofy, ruffled miniskirt. There's also a pair of strategically ripped black tights, sturdy black boots, and a pair of fingerless black leather gloves. I have to admit, it looks good. I'm not sure what I'd call the style. Steampunk? Cybergoth? Gothic Lolita? All three? I emerge, grinning.

"Okay, Zahra. I admit, I kinda like this."

"What's not to like?" Zahra replies blithely. "You look like a rock star."

Michelle whistles. "I feel like I need to create a new Pictogram account just to document that outfit."

"Hell yeah!" Craig lifts a hand. "Gimme five, Alodia!"

I raise my own hand to comply, and he starts to pull his hand away. Suddenly, everything seems to be moving in slow motion, as if Craig is moving through syrup. I clap my palm against his, and he returns to normal speed.

"Too slow!" As the tingling in his palm registers, he stops and blinks. "Wait, what?"

I smooth the silky ruffles on my skirt. "...Woah...was that...?"

"Are we ready to go?" I glance over at Sean, who has pulled Raj to his feet. Raj is still blinking blearily, but he looks conscious enough.

"I think so." I look over at Clockmaker, who nods. She takes a stopwatch from her pocket, and adjusts a few dials. The gathered Vaanti back up as she clicks the button on the top.

"Xiaoxin!" Clockmaker shouts. The air in front of me ripples and implodes like a burning film slide. A glowing wound opens in the skin of reality, surrounded by pulsing rainbow light.

"Oh, god," Diego groans. "Is this where some guy in a demonic bunny suit tells us to 'wake up'?"

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" Raj yelps. "...Am I awake?"

"We'll try to maintain it until you return," Clockmaker says. "Don't dawdle."

"Time for deploy," Jake murmurs, looking over at me. "You ready, Princess?"

I nod. "Let's go turn the tables on Rourke." I take a breath and run headlong into the rift. The voice of an Anachronist follows me.

"They don't stand much of a chance, do they?"

"May Vaanu guide them," Clockmaker replies.

We land in an immense, high-ceilinged industrial room, lined with monitors and technical equipment, far too advanced for me to make any sense of it. Lights flicker and flash, machinery whirs. Zahra looks around, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Dang...I could spend some time in here."

Jake holds up a hand in a sharp gesture that we've all come to recognize. Everyone freezes, quieting. He jerks his head at a lanky, pale-haired figure standing at a computer terminal.

"Malfoy," he whispers. "Three o'clock."

Aleister's back is turned to us. He connects a cable to a hovering drone, and then turns back to the monitor.

"Mother? Can you hear me?" I can just make out Iris' face on the screen. "Mother, it's me! Please, I need your help..."

"Access denied," Iris chimes. "User is invalid."

Estela grabs my arm. "Someone's coming!"

A small group of Arachnid soldiers are suddenly rushing at us. Mike is leading them, and it's already too late to hide.

"Intruders!" Mike growls.

Aleister starts, whipping around to face us. His eyes widen. "Wha-? No! Stand down!"

The soldiers hold their ground. Aleister disconnects the drone, and the monitor goes blank. His eyes lock with mine.

"Aleister!" I growl. "Give us the Heart, and we'll leave."

"You must be really out of ideas," Zahra mutters.

"Aleister, you don't need the Heart," Sean says. "Rourke's gonna trash the island if he keeps using it."

Aleister's eyes never leave my face. "...You shouldn't have come here."

"Permission to capture the intruders?" one Arachnid soldier asks as if having to ask is deeply irritating. Aleister rounds on the troops.

"Just...leave!" he growls through gritted teeth. "I have the situation under control!"

"You're lying," Mike says flatly. Jake takes a step towards Mike, but Sean grabs his arm, holding him back.

"Mike!" Jake cries plaintively. "Fight it, dammit!"

Aleister turns to a terminal and enters a series of commands. Mike freezes in place.

"I said leave!" he snaps.

"...Yes, sir," Mike answers after a moment. He turns stiffly and walks off.

"Wait!" one of the soldiers protests. "We're just gonna-"

"We're moving," Mike snaps. "That's an order."

"...Copy." The soldiers reluctantly follow him down the hall.

"You're controlling him?!" Jake cries, a hundred emotions flickering in his eyes as he looks at Aleister.

"Don't be ridiculous," Aleister mutters, rolling his eyes. "I merely adjusted his memory of the last few minutes."

"Where's the Island's Heart?" I snarl.

Aleister sighs, and gestures vaguely behind us. "...There."

We turn. On the far wall, gleaming out of the shadows, is a giant red robotic form surrounded by wires and scaffolding. It's a mecha suit, straight out of _Transformers_ or _Power Rangers._

"Good god..." I whisper.

"...It's inside the Omega Mech," Aleister sighs.

"What in the Sam Hill?" Kele breathes.

"...We...are...screwed," Craig groans.

"Nice knowing you, dudes," Raj agrees.

"Allie!" Diego cries weakly. I turn to see him leaning over a surveillance monitor. His face is pale, his hands shaking. I glance at the screen and my stomach drops. It's a feed from a security camera, showing Varyyn restrained on a lab table. He isn't moving. I know the room he's in. I saw it once when I touched the idol of Canis. In that room, my best friend was gunned down.

"Oh, no...oh, nonono..."

"Oh, god," Quinn whispers. "Are they experimenting on him?" Diego wrings his hands, breathing hard.

"We have to help him," he whimpers. "Allie, please say we'll help him..."

Michelle is scanning the monitors beside him. "Grace must be here, too. Why don't I see her on any of these monitors?"

I whirl on Aleister. "Where are they keeping Grace?"

"You should leave the way you came, Alodia," Aleister says softly. "This is only going to end badly for everyone."

This time, I'm the one Sean has to hold back as I lunge at Aleister. "Tell me, you little-"

"Easy, Alodia!" Sean says firmly. "We have to move quick. Do we go after Varyyn first, or the Heart?"

I settle, still quivering with rage. "...We go for Varyyn first. And Grace. We'll need to get out of here quick after we have the Heart, and we're not leaving them behind."

"Our friends come first," Quinn agrees.

"As it always should be," Estela says firmly. Diego pulls me into a hug.

"Thank you, Allie."

Aleister turns back to the terminal keyboard. "I warned you. Now you've left me no choice but to— _ungh!"_

He slumps against the terminal and sinks to the floor. Estela stands behind him, brandishing the blunt end of her spear. She tips her head, popping tension out of her neck.

"Been wanting to do that for awhile now," she mutters.

Craig grabs a power cord and begins tying Aleister's hands behind his back. Sean watches mournfully.

"I can't believe we have to do this, but it's better to not take any risks at this point."

With Aleister secured and his limp body concealed in the shadows under a terminal, we make a break for the elevators.

After a bit of searching, we make it to the Observatory lab. Varyyn is there on the cold, sterile table, wrists and ankles pinned by mechanical restraints. Diego rushes to his side, leaning anxiously over him and stroking his face.

"Varyyn! Varyyn, can you hear me?"

Varyyn moans, his eyes fluttering. "...Diego...I had hoped to see your face one more time..." His voice is weak. "They ambushed me...Too many...I couldn't..."

"Shhhh. I know. I know." Diego kisses his forehead. "Just hold on. We're gonna get you out of here." Jake and Sean are already struggling with the restraints.

"Damn things won't budge!" Jake growls. Sean manages to create a tiny gap in one of the shackles before it snaps shut again. Diego turns to a workstation, where Zahra is already peering at the screen.

"Piece of cake," Zahra says. "All we need to do is release the-" The workstation abruptly goes dark. Iris' hologram flickers to life in the center of the room, projected from a pedestal on the other side of the lab.

"I'm sorry, Zahra. I can't let you do that."

My blood runs cold. Diego isn't alone this time. But I know what happens next. "We need to leave," I say lowly. "Fast."

"Iris, you've got to let Varyyn go!" Diego pleads.

"Negative," Iris replies. I can almost whisper her next words with her. "This specimen will remain in custody for the duration of the procedure." I cast my eyes to the wall near the ceiling at the same moment that the panels open and the machine guns descend, attached to robotic arms. A camera drops down with them.

"Are you kidding me?" Craig cries.

"Defense sequence initiated," Iris says calmly. "Final warning..." I dive under the table. The others follow my lead, except Diego, who stays beside the table, clinging desperately to Varyyn.

"Diego!" I cry, my voice shrill with terror. The fear in my voice must be enough to move him, because he finally ducks down beside me, tears in his eyes. I pull him into my arms, feeling on the verge of tears myself. For a moment, all is quiet.

"...No hostiles within range," Iris finally declares. "Defense sequence suspended." The tension rushes out of me in a heavy exhale, leaving me weak and trembling.

"We gotta do something about that camera," Jake murmurs.

"Eye in the sky need taking out? Leave it to me." Kele produces a slingshot from his pocket, along with a rock. He takes aim, and sends the rock flying. With a clang, the camera detatches and drops, smashing against the floor. Kele grins. "Bingo."

I peek out cautiously, and see a wisp of smoke rising from the destroyed camera. Diego chokes on a sob, scrambling out from under the table and rushing back to Varyyn's side as the rest of us emerge behind him.

"How do we get him out?" Quinn asks. "We have to get him out!"

"Surveillance lost in Cloning Lab," Iris says. "Alerting proper channels."

"Wait!" I cry. As my eyes flick to the smashed camera, a crazy idea occurs to me. "Iris! We've got Rourke at gunpoint!"

The others look at me as if I've grown a second head, but Jake nods approvingly.

"If you don't release Varyyn, Rourke here gets a bullet in the head!" he says sharply. "What's it gonna be?"

Iris' hologram scans the area, but she's been blinded by the loss of the camera. "Data inconclusive...Everett Rourke was not seen entering the Cloning Lab."

"Just try and test me, Hallie 9000!" Jake retorts.

Iris is still for a moment. "...Threat level too high," she says at last. "Complying with hostiles' demand."

Iris vanishes. With four metallic pops, Varryn's restraints fall open. Diego clasps his newly freed hand, kissing it and weeping with relief. Michelle rushes to Varyyn's other side, quickly checking him over for injury.

"Doesn't look like he's hurt. Not beyond a few bruises, anyway. But he may have been sedated."

The piercing blast of a siren rips the air apart, making us all jump. Zahra swears under her breath.

"That little piece of holographic shit! She activated a fucking alarm!"

"We gotta move now!" Sean snaps. "Come on!"

Diego and Craig brace Varyyn on either side, keeping him propped upright. Varyyn struggles to keep his feet under him as we rush for the elevators, his chin dropping onto his chest. He lets out a weak croak.

"What was that, Varyyn?" Diego asks.

Another blast from the siren makes my heart spasm painfully. Every cell in my body is quivering with alarm. My breath comes out in shallow gasps. Varyyn raises his head with tremendous effort, nodding at a door on the other side of the lab.

"Grace..." he whispers.

A glance and a nod pass between us. We change course, heading towards the other door. We exit the lab at the meeting point of three hallways. Varyyn nods toward the left. The siren blasts a third time. As it fades, the sound of heavy footfalls approaching reaches my ears. Several Arachnid soldiers suddenly round the corner into the central hallway. Leading them is a hulking brute of a man with a shaved head, and two mechanical fists.

"Found yoooooooou," Tetra sings, leering.

"Give yourselves up!" one Arachnid barks. "Or we'll have to use force."

"Fuck you," Jake replies coldly.

"Hey, Jakey-wakey," Tetra sneers. "Wanna hear a good joke?"

Jake sighs. "Do I have a choice?"

"Why did the wolf cross the road?"

Jake edges back towards the rest of us, inclining his head. "On my signal," he murmurs. "Princess, Ariel, Short Stuff and Big Guy, you take Papa Smurf and head left."

"Uh...are any of those people even here?" Kele whispers back. I just pat his shoulder reassuringly. Tetra snarls impatiently.

"I _said..._ Why did the wolf-"

"You got me, pal," Jake cuts him off.

"He didn't. Somebody ripped his guts out first!" Tetra laughs uproariously, reaching toward Jake. His mechanical limbs stretch out like snakes, rapidly closing the distance between them.

"They rebuilt him!" Quinn gasps.

"Now!" Jake shouts.

Quinn, Diego, Craig, Varyyn, and I make a break for it down the left hallway. The rest of the group hold their ground, facing off against the Arachnid troops. I glance back over my shoulder and see Jake narrowly dodging Tetra's writhing limbs. The mechanical fists slam into the walls again and again, sending chunks of debris flying.

"Jake!" My cry is plaintive to my own ears. I don't want to leave him.

"Alodia, get out of here!" he shouts.

"Go!" Sean agrees. He, Jake, and the others take off down the opposite hallway. The Arachnid soldiers swiftly pursue. Tetra turns and notices me frozen in the hallway. His furious gaze shakes me from my stupor, and I turn to run.

"Oh no you don't!" I turn to see an arm of serpentine steel surging down the hallway towards me. I grab the handle of the nearest doorway and swing it open, ducking behind it. Tetra's mechanical fist smashes through the thick steel, becoming stuck halfway through, his mechanical fingers clawing the air inches from my face. I recoil, pressing my back against the door jamb. It's all I can do to keep upright, to keep myself breathing.

"Hell yeah, Alodia!" Craig whoops. I wonder how he can be cheering me when I'm trembling like a goddamn leaf.

"Stupid sneaky kid!" Tetra roars furiously. He forcibly retracts his arm to try again, but Quinn leaps in between us.

"Back off!" she growls. "Or I'll mess you up all over again!" She stares him down, raising her hands and waving her fingers as if preparing to cast a spell. Tetra shrinks as he suddenly remembers who she is.

"N-no! Get away from me, you freak!" He retracts his arm and turns to flee down the hall with the rest of his group.

"Never underestimate the power of jazz hands," Diego quips.

"It's about all I've got at this point," Quinn replies with a rueful smile.

"Grace..." Varyyn croaks. "...She...is there..." He nods toward a door at the end of the hall. Craig and Diego, Varyyn still braced between them, head toward the door. Quinn reaches out and slips her hand into mine, giving it a squeeze. She studies my face intently.

"...You all right, Alodia?"

I force a smile. "...I'm fine. Let's get Grace back." But I grip her hand hard as we follow the others down the hall. On the other side of the door is a cramped interrogation room. An observation window looks in on a tiny cell. Grace is huddled in one corner of the cell. Her hair is matted, partially covering her face. What I can see of her expression, despondant and weary, makes my heart squeeze. She stares blankly into space.

"Grace!" I cry.

"Grace, can you hear us?" Quinn calls through the glass.

Grace raises her head. "...Alodia? ...Quinn? You're here, too?"

"We all survived, Grace," I assure her. "We've come to get you out."

Her gaze drops again. "Don't bother. You're better off without me."

"What?" Diego yelps. "Grace, I don't know what the hell has been going on here, but we're gonna get you out!"

"We are here to help," Varyyn agrees. He is starting to look a little steadier and more alert. A door into Grace's cell stands in the wall beside the observation window. Diego eases Varyyn into a chair and goes to the door, turning several latches. But when he pushes on the door, it still doesn't budge.

"I got this," Craig says, putting a hand on Diego's shoulder and easing him aside. He takes a running start and body slams into the door, but it still doesn't give. He winces, leaning against the wall.

"I think there's something jamming it from the other side!" Quinn exclaims.

Grace curls towards the wall. "Just go away, you guys. They'll only catch you if you don't."

A horrifying possibility creeps into my mind. What could Rourke or his Arachnid mercenaries have been doing to Grace that she jammed the door on her side to keep them out? I taste panic at the back of my throat.

"Grace, please! Open the door!"

"Why?! What's so good about being out there?! ...I'm better off where no one can get to me."

A familiar light manifests on one of the walls inside the cell. The ghostly figure steps out of the cinder blocks, its faceless gaze regarding Grace curiously.

"They're baaaaaaaaack," Diego sings without mirth.

Grace recoils. "Oh, no...I'm hallucinating again..."

"Grace!" I call. "That's Vaanu! It wants to help us!"

"No joke, Grace!" Craig agrees. "That thing's legit!"

"Just take whatever it gives you!" Diego adds.

Vaanu reaches inside of itself and pulls out a framed display containing colorful butterflies preserved behind glass. I press my palm to the glass of the observation window. Will she still see the visions if I'm not touching the object as well? Will I still see them? Grace reaches out a shaking hand towards the ghost. I close my eyes and let my forehead come to rest on the glass. Please...please let it still work...

A white light blooms behind my eyelids.

 _I am on a balcony overlooking a bustling city. The sky is the deep blue color of evening, but the soft glow of lights along the walkways and streaming from the glass-walled building behind brighten the balcony. On the other side of the glass is an upscale gallery. A large crowd is gathered inside, murmuring as they gaze at vibrant paintings featuring elaborate geometric patterns. The door to the balcony opens and Grace emerges. She is dressed in a bohemian skirt and blouse with a jeweled butterfly brooch. Her long hair has been woven into dozens of tiny brains, twisted off her face and held in place with a gold barrette. Michelle is beside her._

 _"I can't decide which one I like best," Michelle is saying. "Really, Grace, they're all amazing!"_

 _Grace beams. "Thank you! Just let me know if you do see one you want and I'll set it aside."_

 _The door slides open again. An elegant woman in a dark blue business suit, her hair flawlessly coifed and curled, steps out onto the balcony. I know in an instant who she must be. In spite of the stark contrast between Grace's gentle bohemian style and the woman's sharp, snappy business attire, Grace is the spitting image of her mother._

 _"Hello, Grace," Blair Hall says pleasantly. Grace's eyes widen._

 _"Mom...w-what are you doing here?"_

 _"Grace, what a question!" Blair laughs. "I've always supported your little hobbies."_

 _"'Little hobbies'?!" Michelle echoes indignantly._

 _"Mom, please don't try to embarrass me."_

 _Blair looks genuinely surprised by the accusation. "Never, darling! I just, well...I did notice that some of these designs of yours are a little lackluster...maybe some more splashes of color here and there to spruce things up, you know?"_

 _"You're...missing the point," Grace mumbles._

 _"I just don't understand why you don't take up something you're actually good at, sweetheart."_

 _"Okay, that's it!" Michelle snaps. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Hall, but shut the hell up!"_

 _"Excuse me?" Blair scowls at Michelle. "You watch your mouth, young lady!"_

 _"Tell her, Grace."_

 _Grace inhales and sets her jaw. "Mom, all of these paintings were generated by calculations and assigned geometric properties. The whole point of fractal art is to display the beauty of mathematics! It's not about being flashy or impressive, it's about celebrating the intrinsic patterns of the universe."_

 _Blair shifts a little. "Of course. I knew that."_

 _"No, you didn't. You've never taken anything I've done seriously, especially the things I'm passionate about."_

 _Blair's eyes pass from Grace to Michelle and back again. "...I see. I'll...just be going." She turns on her heel, and stalks out with all the dignity she can muster. Michelle puts a hand on Grace's shoulder._

 _"You all right?"_

 _Grace blinks in astonishment. "You know what? That...felt really good!"_

 _Michelle grins. "Good! I think she will actually get it, by the way. Seeing how talented you are, she probably just feels threatened. Anyway, she's got about seven gushing art critics to get through on her way out of here, so I think it's gonna sink in."_

 _Grace chuckles a little, then sighs. "You know, when I was little, she gave me this glass box full of butterflies. Beautiful specimens in every color of the rainbow. It was my most prized possession. And then I started to realize that's all I was to her. A precious thing to keep under glass and hide away."_

 _"Grace, it's up to you who's really in your family and who's not," Michelle replies. "Don't let the ties that bind you be the ties that break you. Okay?"_

 _Grace smiles. "Okay. You're right." She sighs again, but this time it sounds like a release. She straightens as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders._

 _"Now," Michelle says with a grin, "I think it's time for some of that champagne!" She links her arm through Grace's, and the two of them head back into the party..._

 _…_ I open my eyes again in the interrogation room. Grace stands at the center of her cell, eyes wide. She lifts her gaze to meet mine.

"Alodia...I think I just saw..."

"Your future," I finish, smiling. Behind her, Vaanu fades into the wall, its light vanishing. Grace moves to the door. There is a series of clicks, and the cell door swings open. Grace stares at us, clutching the framed display.

"...I'm ready to go now," she says with a soft smile. I rush inside to pull her into a hug. She holds me back. "...It's good to see you, Alodia."

"You too, Grace. So good..."

She's back. Our swan is back. My family is almost complete again. If only we can draw the snake back to our side.

Back at the entrance to the lab, I approach to see the others clustered around Sean, who sits against the wall, clutching his left leg. His breathing is labored, his jaw tight with pain. As I get closer, I see the shine of fresh blood on his pants.

"Sean!" I cry out, rushing to kneel at his side.

"It's fine," he growls. "I'll make it."

"What happened?" Grace asks anxiously.

"Got grazed by a bullet," he mutters, letting his head drop back against the wall.

"It isn't a graze," Michelle says flatly. "It's a wound, Sean. The bullet is inside your flesh. I need you to take it easy and not put too much pressure on it." She pulls off her backpack and begins searching through for her med kit. Jake shakes his head.

"There's no time for that, Maybelline,"he says grimly. "We barely lost Tetra and his grunts back there. They're gonna find us again if we wait much longer."

"Can you walk, bro?" Craig asks anxiously. Sean nods.

"I'll manage. Let's just get out of here." But he can't hold back a groan as Michelle and Raj help him to his feet. As we start back towards the surveillance lab, Zahra pulls a cylindrical device from under her arm and presents it to Craig with a grin.

"Lookie what we found."

"The laser cannon!" Craig gasps. "I thought I wasn't gonna see this again!" He takes the harness eagerly and begins strapping it to his shoulder.

Zahra's grin widens. "Just try not to get too trigger-happy."

We make our way to the elevators to return to the floor we arrived on. The Heart is our next objective. But I'm starting to get nervous again. Sean being wounded puts us at a disadvantage.

We make it back to the surveillance lab and creep over to the Omega Mech. Michelle and Raj ease Sean down against the wall while the rest of us stare up at the towering machine.

"It's... _everything!"_ Zahra breathes.

"It's something, alright," Kele concedes.

Jake scoffs. "Leave it to Daddy Weirdbucks to paint his doomsday device mid-life crisis red."

I shade my eyes as I stare up at the thing. Erratic flashes of light hit my eyes from a compartment near the Mech's torso.

"There. I think the Heart's up there."

"Cool," Zahra says. "I'll check it out." She hoists herself up onto an elevating platform and starts it up. It rises slowly, gears whining.

"Wait up, Z!" Craig jumps at the platform and hooks his fingers over the edge. He laboriously pulls himself up. "We used to watch Gundam together, remember? It was our tradition."

Zahra laughs, slipping her hand into his. "I remember, ya doofus."

The platform finally comes to a stop next to the compartment with the flashing light. Michelle suddenly grabs my arm.

"Did you see something moving over there?" Michelle points to a cluster of desks, where I see a vague shimmering.

"I see it," Diego confirms. "I think it's the ghost."

"No," I murmur. "It's not the ghost."

Fiddler turns off her cloaking, appearing in front of us, a sickening grin on her ruby lips. "You should've asked permission before dropping in, sweeties." she purrs. "Now I'm gonna have to kick you out!"

A dark katana comes whirling through the air towards my lower body. My friends cry out in alarm. I grab a flat monitor off a desk and hold it up like a shield, even as I grit my teeth and brace for the pain. I'm thrown off balance as the blade crashes against the heavy plastic and clatters to the ground.

"Oh, god, too close!" Quinn gasps. Fiddler scoops up her weapon from the pile of shattered glass and plastic on the floor. Raj and Jake rush to my side and pull me to my feet.

"Shouldn't her blade have cut right through that?" Raj asks. He's right. But there's no glow of heat around Fiddlers katanas.

"What's the matter?" Jake sneers. "Lundgren replace your toys with hand-me-downs?"

"Shut up, Wolf!" Fiddler snarls. Jake steps away from me as Fiddler levels her blades at him. High above, a flare of light catches my eye. Zahra meets my gaze. She holds out the Island's Heart, preparing to drop it on Fiddler's head. Jake steps towards Fiddler carefully, keeping his eyes on her face. My heart wedges in my throat as he slowly closes the distance between him and her blades.

"You missed your opportunity to backstab me a second time, Jeanine," Jake says lowly. "But if I get half the chance, I'll make you pay for what you did to me and Mike."

In spite of herself, Fiddler retreats a few steps as Jake approaches, putting her squarely beneath Zahra. "Business, Jake. Just business. But then, you always did mix up work and pleasure..."

"What'd you do, Fiddler?" I ask. "What'd you do to them?"

She pulls herself up haughtily. "Jake didn't like what Lundgren was up to." She lifts her blade, bringing it up to Jake's throat. "And I didn't like Jake. When he told me he was going to expose our commanding officer, I did what anyone would have done. I let Lundgren know exactly what kind of scum he had working for him."

"Really. Sounds like you forgot to tell him about yourself."

Fiddler turns towards me, clicking her tongue. "I do not like that mouth of yours, little blonde brat. How about I cut you a new-"

She is cut off by a loud thunk as the half-sphere of heavy crystal crashes down on her head. Fiddler crumples, unconscious. Diego quickly scoops up the still-intact Heart as Craig and Zahra cheer from the platfrom, high-fiving each other.

"Pass completed!" Craig crows. "Nice assist, Alodia!" Zahra starts the platform back up again, and they slowly begin descending. Jake grins up at them.

"Nice shot, Skri-" The word seems to get caught in his throat. He grimaces, clutching his ribs. My blood sizzles with alarm.

"Jake? You okay?" He starts to cough, slumping against the crimson leg of the Mech. I cry out. "Jake!"

I hurry to brace him, easing him gently to his knees as the coughs tear from his chest, rough and painful. Michelle is at his other side in an instant.

"It's his lung," she says grimly. She places a hand on his back as he spasms violently. "Nice, slow breaths, Jake. In through your nose, out through your mouth."

Jake struggles to follow her instructions. He trembles violently, his features twisted with pain. I stroke his face gently.

"Just stay with me, okay?" I murmur. "I know it hurts, but just stay with me. Just keep breathing." In a moment or two, he has managed to get his breath back. He stands unsteadily, giving me a shaky smile when I try to support him.

"I'm all right," he says hoarsely.

"We need to get out of here now," I murmur. "You and Sean both need to get someplace safe to rest." _If such a place even exists on this godforsaken island,_ I don't add.

We start across the room, passing the still-unconscious Aleister as we go. At least, he still appears to be unconscious. I can see the rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathes, but he isn't moving. Sean looks mournfully at him.

"...I had hoped he would see the light by now," he says softly.

In the darkness under the terminal, something else catches my eye. I bend down and withdraw a piece of paper. I unfold it carefully and cast my eyes over a note written in elegant, looping script.

My dearest Grace,

I know we will never speak again, but I wanted you to know how much I regret everything. I caused you so much suffering and for that, I'll never, ever forgive myself. I hope only to live long enough to redeem myself in your eyes.

Yours respectfully,

Aleister

"Yo, Alodia. You coming?" Craig calls. I hastily stuff the note into my pocket. I'll show it to Grace once we're safe. This isn't the time.

"Yeah. Sorry." I jog to catch up with the others.

"How are we going to escape?" Grace asks uncertainly.

"Same way we came in," I reply. "Don't worry. We've got a portal that's gonna take us far away from here."

Zahra abruptly stops short. "Problem," she hisses. "That Arachnid jerk's in our way." I look towards the rift on the far side of the room and see Mike standing guard, rifle in hand. His eyes search the shadows for any trace of us.

"That didn't go very well for you last time." The voice comes from across the room, dryly admonishing. "Step blindly through a door, and you'll suffer whatever consequence lies on the other side.

"Wh-who's voice is that?" Estela whispers.

"It sounded like it came from..." My heart drops as the cockpit of the Omega Mech suddenly floods with light.

"Stay, my friends," Everett Rourke sneers from within. "And witness history in the remaking."

"We have the Heart!" Craig taunts, scowling up at him.

"That you do," Rourke replies. "And I have its power."

Conduits on the floor flare to life as blue-white energy flows through them, flooding into the Mech. One massive red foot lifts and plants itself ahead of the other, shaking the earth as it lands.

"Everyone run!" I scream. "To the portal! Now!"

"Father!" Beneath the terminal, Aleister has abruptly come around. He struggles against his bonds, staring up at the Mech with horror in his eyes. "Father, what are you-"

"Be silent!" Rourke snarls. "Sit and watch while I do what Prometheus could not! For the fire of the gods is now mine forever!"

A sphere of roiling blue energy hurtles out of the Mech, streaking towards us, expanding as it goes. I close my eyes and throw my hands up in front of my face, instinctively diving. Electric energy stings my skin and sets every hair on my body on edge as a flash nearly blinds me, even through my eyelids. I roll onto my back and pop to my feet. But when I whirl around, I realize that I was the only one who made it out of the way. Jake, Diego, Estela, Sean, Quinn, Raj, Craig, Zahra, Grace, Michelle, Varyyn, and Kele are trapped inside a pulsing, crackling bubble, apparently frozen in place.

"No!" I sink to my knees, my arms wrapped tightly around my own torso as if bound by a straightjacket. It's the only way I could possibly resist the urge to throw my fists against the wall of energy that keeps me from them.

"You're much too concerned with the material, Alodia," Rourke sneers. "The fleeting. Allow me to liberate you as I've been liberated!"

Within the sphere, my friends are flickering. Fading. The Omega Mech is erasing them from time. One by one, they start to disappear. An inhuman howl of agony and fear tears from my throat.

"Stop!" I double over, sobbing. "Don't do this, Rourke! Please!"

"Grace!" Aleister cries.

"Not to worry," Rourke purrs. "If you want them back, all you'll need is the rest of the Island's Heart. You see, Alodia, with the Heart's power, time is our plaything. You could not only save your friends, but anyone you wish, once, twice, a thousand times over."

But I already have...I've already done that...this was supposed to be the last time, the loop that broke the cycle... Suddenly, a more horrifying thought occurs to me. _He knows._ Rourke knows. He knows who I am. Who I once became. He knows that I am the Endless...

"Imagine it," he continues, his voice a hiss. "A savior is born!"

Somehow, a frantic clacking breaks through my own screaming thoughts. I turn sharply to see Aleister freed from his bonds and typing frantically into a terminal, a snake-hilted knife clutched in one hand. In front of the portal, Mike abruptly goes limp, slumping to the ground.

"I deleted his programming, Alodia!" Aleister shouts. "Go! Go now!"

I should do as he tells me. But I'm frozen, rooted to the spot. How can I leave without the others? How can I go on alone? Wasn't that why I became the Endless in the first place? ...Is this where it happens?

"Ah, my son," Rourke purrs. "My greatest mistake. Does it give you a measure of solace to see your father triumph?"

"You were never a father to me!" Aleister snarls. "I ruined everything I cared about trying to make a connection with you! You're no god in the machine! You're just a scared, petty little man hoping to bend the world to his whim!"

"Divide and conquer is the family way, Aleister."

Aleister's fingers tighten around the knife in his hand as he looks down at the energy conduits. His breath comes out through gritted teeth, each one a hiss.

"...So it is." In one swift motion, Aleister raises the knife and dives forward, driving the blade into the terminal. A shower of golden sparks erupts from the wound. Wild arcs of blue-white lightning course across the Omega Mech from the damaged conduit. Rourke screams inside the cockpit and his son screams at the console as electricity surges through them both. A burst of energy throws Aleister onto his back, where he lies twitching, a trail of smoke rising from his body. At that same moment, the blue sphere dissipates, and my friends reappear. All of them are unharmed, all of them are returned. They look around, disoriented. I choke on a sob and throw myself at Jake. He catches me and holds me.

"What the hell just happened?"

"Everyone get to the portal!" Diego shouts. I pull away from Jake and push him toward the rift.

"Go! Everyone go!" We make a break for the rift. Jake stops, seeing Mike unconscious on the floor. He hoists his friend onto his shoulders in one swift motion.

"C'mon, you bastard. You'd better be alive after all this." He vanishes into the rift. I stand beside the tear and guide my friends in one by one. Jake, Sean, Estela, Quinn, Raj, Craig, Zahra, Michelle, Kele... I turn back to look at Aleister. He moans, turning his head towards me. Our eyes lock.

"You _idiot!"_ Grace screams. I look sharply at her and realize she's looking at Aleister. "You could have died!"

Aleister raises a shaking hand and gestures at the portal. "Go...go while you still can...I'll...hold them off..." As he struggles to turn himself over and get to his feet, Grace grunts in frustration and runs to help him.

"Get the hell up and come on!" she snaps. "We're not leaving without you!"

"Grace..."

"Come on!" She pulls his arm over her shoulder and braces him. They limp together over to the rift and disappear inside with the others. Diego ushers Varyyn through. He is about to go through himself, but he stops and reaches back to grasp my arm, anxiety in his eyes.

"You're coming too, right? I swear to God, Allie, if I lose you again..."

"I'm right behind you. Promise. Now go!" But just as Diego steps into the wavering portal, I hear Rourke's voice behind me.

"Soon you will understand what you must do, Alodia. But in the meantime, how about a parting... _gift?!"_

A blue aura bursts to life around the rift. For a moment, I can still see my friends. Then the image begins to distort like a funhouse mirror. The edges of the rift widen to engulf me, and I fall through, my own cry echoing in my ears.

 _La Huerta_

 _The Eastern Coast_

 _Seraxa, war chief of Elyys'tel, walks purposefully along the strand under the moonlight. On one side of her walks a blue-skinned child with pale, curly hair. On the other, a massive golden-brown feline with fangs like daggers. Seraxa strokes the child's hair gently._

 _"You and T'kal play on the beach until I return."_

 _"But I want to go diving!" Taari protests. The sabertooth growls deep in his throat, and it sounds like a sigh._

 _"Taari," Seraxa says warningly. Taari sighs, rolling his eyes._

 _"Fiiiiine. Come on, T'kal."_

 _"Stay on the sand. Do not go past the cliffs. Do you understand?" Taari picks up a long rope of seaweed and flicks it back and forth over the sand. T'kal drops into a crouch, reaching out with a paw to swipe at it. "Taari! Did you hear me?"_

 _"Yeeeeeees," Taari sighs, pouting. "I'll stay on the sand, but Seraxa better be safe too!"_

 _Seraxa purses her lips, watching them for a moment. Finally, she sighs, and wades slowly into the water. She lets herself breathe slowly and deeply as the water laps its way up her legs, to her hips, her belly, and finally, her chest. She draws in one more deep breath, and dives. She descends swiftly into sea trench, propelled by her powerful legs, her cat-like vision cutting easily through the dark water. Arriving at a patch of oyster shells along the trench wall, she pulls out her knife and begins carving each one free. She does not rush. She has trained for many years to be able to hold her breath for an impressively long time, even for a Vaanti. She works carefully, her emerald-green warrior braids drifting lazily through the water about her head, floating on the warm currents._

 _A faint green glow begins to bloom on the trench wall. Seraxa ignores it at first, struggling with the last pair of oysters. She stabs at their bases in irritation, and the motions sends vibrations pulsing through the water. The glow on the trench wall is growing stronger. Seraxa suddenly freezes, her nerves sizzling with a warning. Slowly, she turns._

 _Three heads loom before her. One blue and angular, with horns and glowing slits for eyes. One scarlet with bulging eyes and a lower jaw full of needle-sharp teeth. One green and finned with a snout like an eel. Three heads on three necks that descend onto one scaled, serpentine neck that descends down into the abyss. And each head is at least three times Seraxa's size._

 _Half her held breath rushes out in a scream smothered by the water. A flood of bubbles drifts towards the surface. The three-headed Cetus roars from his scarlet head, shaking the trench walls. The remaining oysters tumble into the darkness. For once in her life, Seraxa finds herself paralyzed with fear._

Please, _she silently begs._ Endless...anyone...preserve me...

 _The three heads bob in the dark water, three pairs of green eyes contemplating their prey. Slowly, they pull back into the abyss, until even the eerie green glow of their eyes is swallowed by the inky blackness. Seraxa wastes no time in kicking to the surface. She breaches with a greedy breath, turning her eyes towards the shore. A fresh knot of cold fear settles in the pit of her stomach._

 _The beach is empty. Taari and T'kal are nowhere to be seen. Seraxa rushes ashore, dropping her bag of oysters._

 _"Taari?!" she cries, desperately scanning the treeline. "Taaaaaaaaaariiiiiiiiiiii!"_

 _Mount Atropo_

 _Several hours earlier..._

 _The Endless kneels stands beside a blazing lava pool, a blue-green glow flickering across her weathered face._

 _"Don't worry," she murmurs. "We're going to return your core to you. Isn't that what you want?"_

 _A voice rises from the pit, echoing off the cavern walls. "All is broken...Broken...all..." The taletell click of a gun being readied comes from somewhere behind the Endless._

 _"Freeze, Red Riding Hood."_

 _The Endless sighs, a rueful, bitter smile curving her wrinkled lips. "Rex Lundgren. I'd say it was a pleasure, but..."_

 _"I've heard about you," Lundgren growls. "I've got a rifle trained on your head, so no tricks, or I will end this conversation real quick."_

 _"What do you want, Mr. Lundgren," the Endless asks wearily._

 _"Seems the Island's Heart is incomplete. Where's the rest of it?"_

 _"Scattered..." replies the voice from within the pit. "Lost..."_

 _"I said no tricks!" Lundgren barks._

 _The Endless curls her mechanical fingers, extinguishing the ball of fire that hovers over her palm. She raises both hands placatingly._

 _"I don't know what you're talking about," she says calmly._

 _"Like hell you don't!" Lundgren swings his rifle, slamming the butt against the side of the elderly woman's head. The Endless grunts in pain, sinking to her knees. Gasping, she crawls towards the pit, towards the safety of the magma. Lundgren's hand shoots out to grasp her by the hair on the back of her head. She groans, gritting her teeth._

 _"Lundgren..."_

 _"Alodia's bringing it to you, isn't she?!" he snarls. "Tell me!"_

 _A spectre materializes beside Lundgren, a pale, gleaming figure, with a dark ball of energy stirring at its heart. The darkness spreads through the limbs of the ghostly entity until it glitters like the night sky. Vaanu takes Lundgren's head into its ghostly hands. Lundgren's eyes go wide. His fingers go stiff and straight, releasing the Endless._

 _"B-but they're dead. I killed them. All of them!" He whimpers, struggling. "I don't wanna see this...Make it stop, dammit! Make it-"_

 _His voice rises in a scream as he pulls away and flees down a tunnel. Vaanu's arms lower to its sides. It turns an eyeless gaze onto the Endless, still curled on the hot ground, struggling to catch her breath. She looks up at Vaanu, blinking._

 _"...You..."_

 _The spirit fades, leaving the Endless staring into empty air. She turns to cast a glance behind her at the gleaming pool of magma. Something like remorse flickers across her face. She turns sharply away._


End file.
